H2O: Just Add Survival
by AlyssaHolloway
Summary: A freak storm strands Rikki and Cleo on a deserted island days from land and separated from their friends. As they learn to survive on their own, they soon discover that the island has its own secrets and they are not alone... Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

H2O: Just Add Survival

Chapter 1

June 18, 5:30 pm

Emma, Rikki, Cleo, and Bella all lay on the deck of their boat, tanning. They were traveling to visit their friend Lewis in America before starting college in the fall. Emma had returned the week after graduation, causing Rikki and Cleo to prepare for a feud. But Emma and Bella got along fine, Bella's carefree ways going perfectly with Emma's neat freakiness.

All four girls had chipped in to buy an old boat that they named the Lorelei II in honor of Miss Chatham's old boat. Now, they were five days away from the coast of California, where Lewis was meeting them. Cleo lowered her sunglasses to look at the dark clouds on the horizon.

"Looks like a thunderstorm's heading for us."

"Not a bad one, right?" Emma asked worriedly, already thinking about a plan.

"No, but it looks like there should be some lightning." Cleo admitted.

"Then we should batten down the hatches." Bella suggested while picking up her beach towel. The foursome went inside to prepare for the storm.

Around ten, the thunderstorm was in full force. The waves tossed the tiny boat up and down. Cleo and Bella were playing cards, Rikki was painting her toenails, and Emma was scrubbing the kitchen floor for the fourth time that week.

"Em, you're going to rub your knuckles raw." Cleo said as she beat Bella at Canasta for the third time. All of a sudden, all that the four girls could see was white. Then, the charcoal smell of smoke entered everyone's nostrils. Cleo threw open the engine hatch and gasped.

"The engine's about to blow! We need to get out!" she screamed.

"Into the ocean?" Emma asked weakly. Then, a sudden force blew all four girls apart from each other. The engine had exploded! Rikki and Cleo landed hard on the deck, which knocked the wind out of them. But the danger wasn't over yet. Fire was still spreading on the Lorelei! Rikki looked all over the inferno. "Emma! Bella!" she cried.

"We're alright," she heard Bella say. "Just get out of here. We'll find you!"

Rikki got a hold of Cleo and somehow got them both over the deck railing. Their tails formed before they even reached the water. Rikki pulled Cleo up and they fought the rising waves. "Bella! Emma! Where are you!" Cleo yelled over the wind. Just then, the boat went up in a fireball, creating a heat wave that forced the girls to get farther away. There was no sign of their other two friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

June 19, 9:30 am

_**A/N: Thank you to my reviewers for reviewing! I don't think that this story idea has been used before so I had to try it out. Thanks and here's Chapter 2! P.S.: If my chapters seem to be short, I wrote the story on my iPod first and am now transferring them onto my computer. I'm trying to make them longer though! (:**_

_Flashback_

_June 18, 10:40 pm_

"_It's no use, Cleo. They'll have to find us, not we find them!" Rikki yelled as she pulled on her friend's arm. Cleo fought her, but soon realized that she was right. The two mermaids swam away from the flaming, sinking wreck and into the black velvety darkness…_

A gull shrieked then, waking Cleo and scaring away the nightmare. She slowly sat up and found herself on a sandy beach! Looking to her right, she saw Rikki, who was still unconscious, her blond curly hair coated with sand. Cleo couldn't even remember swimming to land, but somehow they got there! She leaned over and shook Rikki. "Rikki, wake up! Please, Rikki!" The blond girl slowly woke up and shook the dry sand out of her hair. She frowned then when she saw the white sandy beach around her.

"Where are we?" she asked as she rubbed her neck.

Cleo sighed. "I really don't know. I mean, it looks like we're on an island. But longitude and latitude wise, I have no idea."

Rikki had been listening with a bored look on her face. "So, in English, we're lost."

Cleo nodded sadly. "Very lost."

The girls eventually got up and went to explore the island. "There could be a resort or airstrip nearby." Cleo said. But, her hypothesis was wrong. There were no other people or buildings. Instead, there were sparse groups of fruit trees and other wild plant life. The island didn't even have dense jungle like Mako. In fact, it was so small that Rikki and Cleo could walk around it easily without getting very tired.

The two girls were walking through a grove of mango trees when they heard a familiar noise. "Water!" Cleo cried as she ran towards the sound. Rikki followed her and found Cleo dancing in front of a mango tree with water bubbling out of the bottom.

"Yes!" Rikki said as she went to get some. As she knelt and cupped her hands, Cleo smacked them away.

"We don't know if it's freshwater yet." Cleo said as she went to taste it. Her tail appeared but it didn't matter. She smiled as she swallowed. "Yep, this is freshwater!" Rikki was about to cheer until Cleo stopped her. "We still need to boil it so all toxins get out."

After the issue of food and water was solved, there was the problem of shelter. The first shelter was made of sticks and a few palm fronds. Simple, but the girls didn't really appreciate the first rainstorm that left them as mermaids for the whole night. So, on day three, Cleo sent Rikki to look for more shelter-building equipment while Cleo was fishing. Rikki had already gotten some more leaves and was looking for vines. She saw some on a rock wall a little way down the beach that they were staying on. As she pulled on them, she felt the wall give way. Rikki fell inside. "What the…Cleo! Get in here!"

Cleo ran inside. "Oh my gosh, Rikki! You found a cave!" The cave was large enough for the two girls to easily walk around in and tall enough for them to stand up in. Both girls started jumping up and down with joy. "We found a cave! We found a cave!" they cheered. Meanwhile, they had no idea what was going to happen to them very soon…..


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

June 27, 8:33 pm

_**CRACK! **_A clap of thunder echoed over the tiny island. Cleo uncovered her ears as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. "Cleo, it's just thunder." Rikki said as she tried to get comfortable in the sleeping bag that they found washed up on the beach. It was actually Cleo's, but she and Rikki took turns using it.

Also, some of Rikki, Cleo, Emma, and Bella's clothing had washed up on the island as well. Rikki had tried to hide their missing friends' clothes, but Cleo had seen them and started to cry after seeing them crusted over with dried salt and sand. It had taken Rikki some time to console her. Cleo had definitely gotten more emotional after being shipwrecked and having Emma and Bella being gone wasn't helping it.

Just then, Rikki heard a faint noise. Thinking it was Cleo crying again, she turned over to try to sleep. "Hey Rikki, do you hear that?" Cleo whispered. Rikki sat up quickly as she heard it again. This time its meaning was clear.

"Someone's calling for help!" Cleo looked at her hopefully.

"Emma or Bella?" she asked. Rikki didn't wait to reply; she was already running out of the cave and down the beach. As soon as she reached the ocean, her gold tail appeared. Cleo was right behind her, hoping that the missing girl was alright.

About three yards from shore, they saw what looked like a teenage girl floating on top of the water. "Bella! Emma! Are you okay?" Cleo cried as she sliced through the choppy waves. Then Rikki grabbed Cleo's wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Cleo, that's not Emma or Bella. Look at the hair." Cleo looked at the unconscious figure and saw its long auburn hair. She gasped.

"It's not Charlotte, is it?" Images flashed through her head of her mortal enemy wrecking her life on the island. She had already lost Emma and Bella; she didn't need Charlotte ruining what was left of her happiness! Rikki meanwhile had gotten a hold of the stranger's head and was peering at its face.

"No, it's not. But we can't take her back with us. She's human. She could find out our secret." Cleo was secretly relieved. As long as it wasn't Charlotte, she was fine with whatever else. She already had her mind made up.

"We'll just have to be more careful. Besides, it would be murder to abandon her in the middle of the ocean."

Rikki sighed. _I hate it when Cleo runs a guilt trip on me. _"I guess you're right, Cleo. Here, help me." Cleo got one arm and Rikki got the other. Then, they swam underneath the surface, allowing the girl to float on her back on the top. Both mermaids had thoughts running through their heads. This was Rikki's. _Who is this girl? Why do I let Cleo talk me into these things? I know that this girl is going to find out our secret. This is probably a big mistake. _And these were Cleo's: _Wow, a new girl. This is really exciting! I bet that she'll be able to tell us how far away we are from California hopefully. Maybe she knows if Emma and Bella made it too. _

Soon, they could see the outline of their island peeking out from the clouds covering the night sky. Rikki and Cleo were swimming along the cliffs on the northern side of the island when Cleo saw something. Peering at it through the murky water, she realized it was an underwater tunnel! She pointed it out to Rikki. Rikki shook her head and motioned upwards. _Cleo, you idiot. You're the one who wants to save this girl. _Rikki thought teasingly. Cleo nodded. _We do have to get this strange girl to shore. _They surfaced on their beach and pulled the stranger as far out of the water's reach as they could. Then, they headed for the unknown tunnel, not knowing what would happen…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

June 27, 11:05 pm

_**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing and reading my story! The plot will start getting quicker and more exciting very soon. Enjoy!**_

Rikki quietly swam into the tunnel, hoping that there were no unfriendly sea critters inside. She made sure to peek into every dark hole before finally surfacing. What she found shocked her. Cleo surfaced right afterwards and her mouth dropped open. "It's….it's the moonpool!" Rikki gasped. This pool was exactly the same as the pool on Mako except that there was no land entrance, only a water one. Both girls began swimming in awe around the pool until they felt an eerie sensation.

Turning around, they saw a full moon going over the hole at the top of the cave. Instantly, the friends felt that they were losing control over themselves. The water began to bubble and glow, causing reddish-orange bubbles to come from Rikki and pinkish-purple bubbles to come from Cleo! They stared at the lovely moon before everything faded to black….

June 28, 6:00 am

Rikki awoke on the beach, covered with sand and seaweed. She spit out a mouthful of saltwater and squinted at the sun that was rising over the island. She sat up and looked over at Cleo, who was still unconscious beside her. Rikki peered down the beach and saw the strange girl who was stirring. The girl sat up and looked around her, seeming very confused.

Rikki shook Cleo, knowing that the girl would want answers from the both of them. Then, looking down at Cleo's tail, Rikki almost went into shock. Instead of the normal gold color, Cleo's tail was now pinkish-purple! Not wanting the girl to see Cleo as a mermaid, Rikki boiled Cleo's tail off and shook her friend again. "Cleo, get up! The new girl's awake!" The brunette girl's eyes shot open.

"Did you talk to her yet?" she asked eagerly. Then, she rubbed her forehead. "Wow, what a headache!"

"No, I was waiting on you. And I think your headache is from the full moon last night." Rikki didn't mention Cleo's new tail since the new girl was within earshot. "Who do you think that girl is?"

Cleo shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. Maybe she's from America or something. She didn't have any I.D. or passports." Rikki nodded.

"You could be right about that," she said, looking over at the new girl, who had just disappeared. "Hey, where'd she go?"

"I'm right here," an accented voice said from behind them. Cleo and Rikki jumped a foot before turning around. "And it's Natalie. My name is Natalie."

_**Dun-dun-dun! So who is Natalie? How did she get stranded on the island? Will Rikki and Cleo ever be reunited with their friends again? And how does the appearance of a moonpool tie into all this? Find out in the next installment of H2O: Just Add Survival! Please review! :) **_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

June 28, 6:08 am

Natalie stared at the two strange girls. _I've never seen them before in my life. The last thing I remember is helping Dad and Chris take down the sails during that storm. It was so weird, especially since it came out of nowhere. Then, the deck was so slippery that I fell overboard. I remember Chris screaming my name, then darkness. Next thing I know, I'm laying on this beach, coughing up seawater. _She looked at the other two girls who were staring at her as if she was under a microscope. _I know how bacteria feel now._

"I'm Natalie DeGrand. Where am I?" she asked, a little cautiously. After all, she had no idea who these girls were. They could be murderers for all she knew.

One girl, a brunette, shrugged her shoulders. "A desert island. I'm Cleo Setori, and this is my friend Rikki Chadwick. We shipwrecked here nine days ago. We found you last night in the ocean near the beach and dragged you to shore."

Natalie nodded, still a little nervous about the two girls. "I'm from Miami, Florida and I'm seventeen. My dad, brother, and I are taking a trip around the world. But last night, a freak storm came up and I fell overboard. Next thing I know, I'm on this beach. Hey, aren't you guys those girls from Australia whose boat never came into port? We kept hearing about it on the radio."

Rikki smiled a little. "Guilty as charged."

Natalie decided to test something. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

Rikki shook her head sadly. "No. Me and Cleo were traveling to California with our friends Emma and Bella. Then, a strike of lightning hit our boat and we got separated from them. We miraculously landed on this island and have been here and alone ever since."

Natalie almost wanted to cry. _No other people, alone and stranded on a desert island! What about Dad and Chris? Won't they search frantically for me? I mean, Rikki and Cleo hadn't had anyone else except their friends. But what if my family was lost in that storm? I already lost my mom to this stupid ocean; I don't want my dad and brother to be lost, too! _

She remembered when she was twelve and Chris only nine. They had been on their boat with their parents when a sudden hurricane came up. Her mother had been helping her with the sails when the boom came across, hitting Mom in the chest and throwing her overboard. By the time Natalie had screamed for her father, the foamy sea had taken her mother forever.

Cleo's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "I know that it seems hard to be all alone, but me and Rikki are here too, you know." Natalie looked at the two Australian girls through her tears. _They don't understand how it feels to lose someone you love!_

"I'm sorry, you guys, but I really need some time to myself," she whispered softly. With that, Natalie took off her shirt and shorts, revealing her green bikini. She then dove into the ocean, leaving the other girls on the beach.

"Well, that went well." Rikki said with a hint of sarcasm.

Cleo frowned. "She's probably just jittery. Give her some time to adjust. Remember, you needed some time to as well when we first arrived." She let her gaze turn back to the ocean. "Do you think that it's safe to let her swim around here?" she asked Rikki nervously.

"I think so as long as she doesn't find the moonpool." Rikki replied, but Cleo could see a little bit of fear on her face.

Cleo fingered her locket quietly as she watched the sun rise over their tiny island. "I hope you're right," she whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

June 28, 7:26 am

Natalie swam quickly and smoothly through the water, grateful for her experience as a diver. As she glided among the brightly colored coral and fish, she began to fall in love with the island. She began swimming up to the northern side of the island, along the cliffs. There were a lot of cave like things along the cliff walls, but one caught her eye. It looked the same as the others, but something about it piqued her interest. Natalie sucked in a deep breath before diving down to the cave.

As soon as she entered it, Natalie realized that it was a tunnel. She squinted to try to see if there was any light to guide her. Seeing a faint little bit, she kicked until she surfaced in a crystal blue pool! It was beautiful and almost magical, with sunlight shining down on top of her and reflecting off the water. There was a little landing by the water that was sandy, but the rest was rock hard walls with no other way out except for the underwater entrance.

Natalie was so distracted by the beauty of the pool, that she almost missed a beam of sunshine reflecting off an object at the bottom of it. Curious, she dove under, wondering what had sparkled. Looking around the crystal clear water, she finally saw it. In a clump of seaweed by the side, there was a silver locket!

Lifting it up out of the water, she held it up to examine it. It was a normal looking locket, with a dark blue crystal on the top. It looked like a sapphire or

On the back there were four waves carved into it. It sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Natalie smiled and fastened the delicate chain around her neck. "It's perfect!" she said joyfully.

_I can't wait to show it to Cleo and Rikki. Unless it's theirs, of course. But, they shy away from the waves, so I seriously doubt that they swim all the way out here, and then hold their breath for thirty seconds to get to the pool. I mean, this tunnel looks the same as the others! But then if it's not theirs, who does the locket belong to? There's no one else on this island. Or is there? _

Natalie quietly sucked in a breath and swam out of the cave, enjoying the feeling of the cold metal against her skin. _I hope that I'm not about to lose it. _As she swam back to the beach, all she could think about was the mysterious locket.

June 28, 8:09 am

Cleo stood on the beach, scanning the water for any sign of Natalie. She was worried that the girl had hurt herself or passed out underwater. _She just regained consciousness, for goodness sakes! I shouldn't have let her go swimming!_ Cleo prepared to dive under and go look for the missing girl. Rikki saw her from where she was cooking breakfast.

"Cleo, don't! We don't know anything about this Natalie chick. Besides, she could see you and then she'll know our secret. For all we know, rescue could be minutes away. We don't want to make any stupid mistakes."

The brunette girl complied and stepped away from the edge of the waves. "I guess you're right." Just then, Natalie appeared in the water, swimming towards shore. "Oh, there you are, Natalie." Cleo said, secretly relieved. The red haired girl gave her a shy smile before getting out of the water. Cleo stepped back to avoid the dripping water coming off of the girl.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Cleo said as she picked up a bundle of clothes at her feet. "These are some clothes of ours that we'd like you to borrow. Rikki's washing your clothes." She didn't mention that both she and Rikki used their powers to wash clothes and keep themselves dry. Natalie accepted the lime green tank top of Emma's and Rikki's old cutoff jean shorts.

As the new girl examined them, Cleo caught a familiar glint of sunlight off metal. As she looked for where it came from, she saw the locket around Natalie's neck. Instinctively, Cleo's hand flew up to her neck to check for her locket, which was there. Then, she looked at Rikki, who was wearing her locket, too. (They also had their crystal necklaces, but they took turns wearing either their lockets or their crystal necklaces.) Nervously, she wondered where Natalie got hers.

"Nice locket, Natalie." Cleo said cautiously. "Where'd you get it?"

The girl looked down at the necklace. "Oh, it isn't yours? I found it while I was swimming." Her eyes traveled to Cleo's locket. "You have one, too," she whispered.

Cleo only nodded. "They're the newest trend in Australia," she said and walked away.

Natalie watched Cleo leave and took off her locket. It was very pretty. She then noticed some dried sand caked around the edge. As she scratched it off with her fingernail, the locket popped open. She peered at the black and white photo and found something shocking. There was a teenage girl lying on some sand with a mermaid tail up. She had what looked to be brown hair and dark colored eyes. There was a twinkle in her eye that made her seem mischievous. _But why a tail? Is this girl a mermaid? _Natalie looked over at Cleo and Rikki talking together. _Do they have the same photo in their necklaces?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

July 1, 12:00 am

_**A/N: Thank you guys soooo much for reviewing! You make my day! I hope that this story has caught your interest and you are probably dying to read what happens next. So, I'll shut up so you can enjoy Chapter 7 of H2O: Just Add Survival. :)**_

Rikki slid out of the sleeping cave, heading for the ocean. This was her first chance to go swimming since Natalie came along. _That girl is in the water every second possible. _She felt her tail replace her legs then and went to lean back and enjoy herself. She gasped when she saw in the faint light of the campfire, her new reddish-orange tail! Rikki laughed. _I like this color!_ A voice made her jump.

"Rikki! What in the world are you doing?" It was Cleo.

"Chill out, Cleo. I'm just getting some swimming in."

"Ok, just be quiet. You don't want Natalie to wake up and see you."

Rikki nodded. "You want to take a dip?"

Cleo looked back at the cave and then at Rikki. A mischievous grin came over her face. "Sure, why not?" She slid into the water and watched as her new colored tail appeared. Her eyes grew wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. "How did this…"

"I think it was the full moon we experienced a few nights ago."

"Oh, ok. I like this color better. But Rikki, what about the locket Natalie found?"

"It's not Emma's. The stone is a sapphire, not a moonstone. What if it belonged to another mermaid that Miss Chatham, Gracie, and Julia knew? It's definitely Max's work."

"Maybe. But then how did the mermaid get to this island? We haven't found any traces of anyone else being here."

"I don't know. Maybe she shipwrecked here too?"

"That's an idea. Hey, do you remember right after Emma came back and she decided to make Bella a locket to welcome her to the group?"

"Oh, yeah. We decided on an amethyst stone, right?"

"Yeah, then while Max started to make it, Bella came up with the idea of making Emma a Mako Island crystal necklace." The two friends laughed at the memory.

"Lewis probably has Bella's locket in California. Max told us that he would mail it there when it was done. He didn't have it done when we left."

"And Emma's crystal necklace is there, too. Bella wanted her to get it once she arrived at Lewis's dorm." Cleo remembered when her and Rikki used to laugh about what their friends would say when they received their necklaces.

_Flashback_

_Early June_

"_I can't wait to give Emma this!" Bella said as she slid a brown string through the little hole at the top of the crystal. "You guys can go on home; I'll finish up here and mail it." Rikki and Cleo left Bella's house and headed for Cleo's. Emma came running up behind them. _

"_Hey guys! You _have _to come see Bella's locket. It's sooo beautiful!" She pulled them to Max's home where he proudly showed them the beginnings of the locket. _

"_It'll be in California once you girls get there. I promise that I'll mail it." Max said reassuringly. _

_On the way back to Cleo's, Rikki and Cleo laughed over the fact that their two friends were receiving necklaces and both had no idea about the other's gift. "It's going to be so great to see their faces!" Rikki laughed._

_End of flashback_

_Present Day_

Just then, both mermaids heard a voice. "Cleo? Rikki? Are you girls out there?"

"It's Natalie!" Rikki whispered sharply. "Cleo, duck under!"

As Rikki sunk beneath the surface, Cleo began frantically pushing herself into deeper water since she was in shallower water than her friend. Then, the light of a flashlight caught her. "Cleo, what are you doing out there? You told me that you can't swim!"

"Ummm…"

"Don't worry! I'm coming in!"

"Natalie, don't!" It was too late though; Natalie was already splashing towards her. Then, she tripped over Cleo's tail fin. She fell face first into the water.

"What the…Cleo, you're a mermaid?" Cleo could only sit in shock as Rikki watched in horror from the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

July 1, 1:12 am

_**A/N: Wow, this story has 11 reviews! And it's being read by people in Europe, Australia, the Philippines, Caribbean, Central and South America, and Canada! Thank you guys sooo much and here's Chapter 8!**_

"So, three years ago, you became a mermaid in Australia." Natalie said suspiciously.

"Yes, in a secret pool on an island. I'm the only one."

"Rikki isn't one?" Natalie frowned a little bit more, as if she didn't believe her.

"No," Cleo lied, "and she doesn't know that I'm one either." _I can't let Rikki be revealed like me. It's bad enough that I am; if Natalie finds out about Rikki, she could tell the whole world about both of us! _

"And you became a mermaid in this pool during a full moon?"

"Yeah, but I don't think that there's any of these pools in America." _But there's one in your backyard._

"I guess not. I'm going for a walk, okay?"

Cleo nodded dumbly and watched the younger girl walk down the beach. She sat down in the sand and began to sob, her whole body shaking with each one. A wave crashed over her, causing her tail to form. "I hate you!" she yelled to her tail. "If it wasn't for you, I would just be an ordinary girl stranded on a desert island."

"Cleo, what have I told you hundreds of times? Ordinary is boring." Rikki had pulled herself onto the beach.

Cleo turned around quickly, anger burning in her tear-filled eyes. "You! You just _had _to go swimming. You _had _to make enough noise to wake the dead. And you _had _to convince me to get in with you. Now Natalie knows that I'm a mermaid!" Every "had" was said like it was covered in acid.

Rikki watched her friend as Cleo once again buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "But, Cleo, if you're so ticked off at me, why didn't you tell Natalie about me?"

The brunette rubbed her puffy eyes and looked at Rikki. "I…I guess that I wanted to keep your secret safe. No matter how mad I was at you, you still don't deserve to have your secret revealed." Rikki hugged her.

"Thanks, Cleo."

Natalie's thoughts tumbled around inside her head as she walked along the edge of the waves. _Cleo, a mermaid? Does that tie into the photo in my locket? I never would have suspected that she was a mermaid, being all scared of water and stuff. _Natalie instantly felt a pang of jealousy. _I want to become a mermaid. Then, I could stay under water as long as I wanted. I could be free! _

She knew that the pool on this island was identical to the pool that Cleo was talking about. _I could become a mermaid there! Then, Cleo and I could swim together all day long. Destiny brought me to this island, and now I know why. I was meant to transform into a mermaid. Dad told me that the next full moon was July 25. _She looked down at her waterproof diver's watch that had the date and time on it. _Only twenty-four more days to go._ Natalie smiled as she walked down the darkened beach.

_**Now Natalie has decided to become a mermaid! Oh, no! **__**(gasp) Will Rikki and Cleo find out about her plan? And if Natalie decides to go through with it, will she be like Charlotte? And do Bella and Emma ever appear in this story again? (I will tell you that Emma is not dead. Bella fans, you'll have to keep reading…lol)**_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

July 10, 4:35 pm

Cleo carried an armful of bananas down to the shore where she was cooking dinner. "Hey, Cleo!" It was Natalie. _Why couldn't we have landed on a larger island with more places I could hide from her?_

Cleo sighed. "What do you want, Natalie?"

"I'm running low on clothes. Do you mind if I borrow that shrug of yours?" She was referring to the pink lace shrug Cleo owned.

"Ummm…I guess." She had no idea why Natalie would want a shrug instead of a shirt.

"Well, by borrowing, I really mean have. Unless you want your little fishy secret to accidentally slip out."

Cleo was at a loss of words. _Could Natalie really be that cruel? Is she more like Charlotte than I thought? _"I don't understand."

"It's simple, Cleo. You give me the shrug, or I'll tell Rikki that you're a mermaid. You only have two choices. Take your pick."

Cleo didn't really care if Natalie told Rikki. But then if she acted nonchalant about it, Natalie might suspect that Rikki knew something about Cleo's mermaidness. "Fine, you can have it." _I can't have Rikki being revealed!_

Natalie smirked a little and flounced away. "Thanks, Cleo. I knew you'd understand."

Cleo grinned as she looked at the water bottle in Natalie's hand. She made a quick hand movement, causing the water in the bottle to squirt into the other girl's face. Natalie gasped. "Why does this bottle always do this?" she muttered to herself as she walked back to the cave.

Cleo giggled. _Easier than Kim. _She then hurried over to Rikki, who was hanging up laundry. The blond girl looked up and wiped some sweat off her forehead with a rag. "What'd Natalie want?"

"She wanted my pink shrug or she'd tell you that I was a mermaid. I had to say yes; if I didn't, she would've suspected something."

Rikki frowned. "I swear that she's some long lost cousin of Charlotte. She acts more and more like her everyday." Cleo sighed and cupped her chin in her hand.

"Maybe we ought to just give her a chance. She just might be nervous or something. It's not everyday that you find out that someone you know is a mermaid."

"Cleo, she's blackmailing you! I wouldn't give her a chance even if she begged me!"

"What are you talking about, Rikki?" Natalie had walked up behind them. _What is she, part spy? _Rikki thought. _She always sneaks up on us so quietly. _"Cleo, you were lying to me? Rikki knows that you're a mermaid?"

The younger girl stood there in shock. Then, her face grew dark and she threw her water bottle onto Rikki. Rikki fell onto the sand as a mermaid. Natalie looked at Rikki, horrified. "You're a mermaid, too?" Rikki nodded sadly. Cleo was ash white and looked like she was about to pass out. Natalie leaned against a palm tree, trying to take it all in. _Both of them are mermaids? This is so creepy and weird. I mean, I was living with mermaids for the past few weeks!_

"…so you can't tell anyone, okay?" Rikki had been giving a speech the whole time Natalie was thinking.

"Um, yeah, I promise I won't tell anybody." But Natalie was focused on one thought circling in her head. _I'm becoming a mermaid on the next full moon._

_**So, now it's official to Natalie: She's going to become a mermaid. But, will she be able to keep it a secret from Rikki and Cleo? You'll find out for sure in my favorite chapter, Chapter 10 of H2O: Just Add Survival! Keep reading and reviewing! :)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

July 25, 7:27 pm

Cleo and Rikki were working on putting a door on the cave entrance. They had explained about them being moonstruck to Natalie. So, all three girls had made a thick door out of palm fronds and extra clothes to protect them from the moonlight. As added protection, Cleo was going to zip herself up in the sleeping bag and Rikki was going to tie a shirt over her eyes.

Natalie had decided to sleep out on the beach so she wouldn't disturb the other girls. At least, that's what she told Rikki and Cleo. In reality, Natalie was going to swim to the secret cave or "moonpool" as the mermaids called the pool on Mako Island. They had no idea that Natalie had actually found a moonpool on this island. _I don't even know that they know about it._

As the moon began to rise, Cleo and Rikki hurried inside the cave with a quick "good night". Then, Natalie was left alone. She dove into the water and began to swim to the moonpool. She twirled and kicked underwater, enjoying her last night as a human. The next morning, she would wake up as a mermaid. _The others won't even know I was gone._

About fifteen minutes later, Natalie finally made it. She smiled as she waited for the moon to go over the hole, making her become a mermaid. Around eleven, the water in the pool began to bubble and glow. All of a sudden, she had a last minute thought.

_Flashback_

_July 17_

_ Natalie was talking to Cleo about her being a mermaid. "Have you ever had…um…second thoughts about being one?" Natalie asked._

"_Well, a couple of times I have. It takes a lot of responsibility to be a mermaid. You have to control your powers, keep your secret safe, and be able to lie."_

"_Lie?"_

"_Yeah, lie. I've had to lie to get out of water-related trips, go to Rikki's house to avoid the full moon, you know, stuff like that."_

"_What if I wanted to be one?"_

"_Natalie, we didn't decide to be mermaids, we were chosen. You don't want to be like Charlotte and go power hungry, do you?"_

_End of flashback_

"Wait! I changed my mind!" Natalie tried to climb out, but the walls were too slippery. Frightened, she watched as the stone in her locket glow in the eerie moonlight. The full moon started to go over the hole, causing bubbles to come from her. She gasped as the sapphire stone cast a blue glow around her. Then, a sharp pain in her legs caused her to black out…

July 26, 9:13 am

_Rikki swam into the moonpool, thinking that she heard Cleo in there. "Cleo?" she asked. _

"_Hello, Rikki." Rikki turned around and saw Natalie sitting on a small ledge in the water._

"_Natalie? What are you doing here?" Then, she saw that Natalie was raising her hand. The younger girl flapped a dark blue tail before saying,_

"_Goodbye, Rikki." A lightning bolt started towards her from the sky…_

Rikki woke up screaming. Cleo pulled off the t-shirt mask. "Rikki! You're just dreaming! Snap out of it!" Rikki stopped and saw sunlight streaming through a tiny crack in the door.

"Hey, the moon's gone down!" Rikki said as she pulled the door back. She leaned out and looked for Natalie. There was no sign of the red haired girl. "Where's Natalie? She's not outside."

"Maybe she went to make breakfast or something. No big deal." Both girls stepped out of the cave and went to the beach. No Natalie. They called and screamed her name. No answer.

"You don't think that she…" Cleo trailed off.

"You mean, found the moonpool?" Rikki said, thinking about her nightmare.

"Or wentswimming and got hurt?" Cleo replied, a scared look in her eyes. Both girls dove under and began to search the waters around their island. Natalie was nowhere to be seen. Around ten, the two mermaids started swimming towards the moonpool. As they surfaced, they found Natalie unconscious on the surface of the water.

"Natalie! Are you okay?" Cleo screamed as she swam to the limp girl. She and Rikki dragged the other girl to the beach, and then pulled her to the cave where they left her to sleep. After giving Natalie a quick final glance, the two friends went to sit on the beach. "Rikki, do you think that Natalie's a…you know, a…"

"Mermaid?" Rikki finished for her.

"Yeah. But if she is, what if she's like Charlotte?"

_My same exact thoughts. _"Well, there's only one way to find out." Rikki snuck into the cave and dribbled a bit of water from her bottle onto Natalie's leg. Ten seconds later, a dark blue tail replaced Natalie's legs along with a matching scale bikini top. Both mermaids stood in surprise.

"Umm…it looks like we have a new trio." Cleo whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

July 26, 4:23 pm

_Earlier that Day_

_After Natalie woke up around noon, Rikki and Cleo explained to her what had happened. "I went to the moonpool planning to become a mermaid, but then I realized the responsibility I would have to have. I tried to climb out, but it was too late. A sharp pain made me black out. That's all I remember." Natalie told them._

"_We forgive you." Cleo said._

"_In a way, you were chosen to become a mermaid here." Rikki put in. They all hugged._

_End of flashback_

Now, all three girls were standing on the beach, trying to figure out Natalie's powers. So far, freezing, controlling, and boiling water had been ruled out. Natalie put out her hand again, this time using Bella's hand motion. A little bit of water successfully turned into jelly. "Yes! I found my power!" Natalie did a little happy dance.

"You might have more powers that show up in time, too." Cleo said. The new mermaid laughed and fell into the water, turning into her other form. Rikki and Cleo joined her.

Cleo had taken off her locket before she got in the water and was now turning it over and over in her hands. Natalie looked at it. "Do you mind if I see it?" she asked.

"Sure," Cleo said as she handed the other girl the locket.

Natalie gently opened up the necklace and peered at the three mermaids. "And who are these girls again?"

Rikki leaned over. "The left one is Louise Chatham, the middle one is Julia Dove, and the right one is Gracie Watsford. That locket is Gracie's and I have Julia's. Our friend Emma has Miss Chatham's."

"Wait, so Emma is a mermaid, too? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"We weren't sure if we could trust you." Cleo replied. "We had to protect our friend. Bella is one, too. She became one in Ireland when she was nine. Emma transformed with me and Rikki."

Natalie nodded and traced her finger along Gracie's face. All of a sudden, images flooded through her head.

_Gracie receiving the locket from a teenage guy…swimming in the sea with her friends…arguing with the same guy and tossing the locket into what looked like a moonpool…a full moon going over the cone of a volcano while Gracie is alone by the moonpool…_

The images stopped then, leaving Natalie feeling lightheaded. "Natalie? What happened?" Cleo said, looking concerned.

"Umm…I don't really know. As soon as I touched the picture of Gracie, a whole bunch of pictures about her came through my head."

"Like what?" Rikki asked while seeming confused.

"Like her receiving this locket from a guy, then her swimming with her friends, then she argued with the same guy and ended up throwing the locket into a moonpool. The last image was her sitting by the same moonpool while a full moon was going over the cone of a volcano."

Cleo looked shocked. "It sounds like when you touched Gracie's picture, you found out about part of her life. But, Bella doesn't have that power. None of us do."

"Maybe it's a special power from this island." Rikki suggested.

"Maybe." Cleo trailed off. "Natalie, put your hand on Rikki's shoulder."

"What? Why?" Natalie looked a little scared.

"Just do it." Cleo said, gently picking up Natalie's hand. "I have faith in you."

Natalie placed her hand on Rikki's shoulder. The images started up again.

_Rikki hijacking a Zodiac with Cleo and another girl…getting in a moonpool with the girls while a full moon was over the hole…using her power to dry off Cleo, then dry up a swimming pool…getting a kiss from a guy at the same moonpool…using her lightning power to defeat a red haired girl…Charlotte?...then Rikki screaming as Natalie shot a lightning bolt at her!_

Natalie gasped as the images stopped. _Did I actually do that to Rikki? But I can't create lightning! I can't do anything with weather! _

Cleo and Rikki were staring at her. "Everything okay, Natalie? Or was my past too scary for you?" Rikki teased.

"Umm…no. I saw how you stole a Zodiac and became a mermaid, how you used your powers, getting a kiss from a guy at a moonpool..."

"Oh, Zane! I don't date him anymore. He's a jerk. What else did you see?"

"You were defeating a red haired girl…"

"That was Charlotte." Cleo put in.

"And then I shot a lightning bolt at you?"

Rikki's face went beet red. "You saw that?"

"Yeah," Natalie said shyly. "Did I do that to you?"

"No, it was just a dream I had this morning. It really shook me up."

"I bet. You know I would never do that to you, Rikki."

"I know that now." _Now that I know what your powers are. Now that I know that you can't possibly be like Charlotte._

Natalie smiled and gazed at the horizon. "I wonder what happened to your friends."

"I've always hoped that they landed on another island, hopefully one with people." Cleo said dreamily.

"Cleo, it's been more than a month. There's no way that Emma and Bella are alive." Rikki said gently.

The brunette turned around, tears streaming down her face. "I know, Rikki. It's just hard to think of them at the bottom of the ocean somewhere!" With that, Cleo dove under, heading for the moonpool. Natalie went to go after her, but Rikki stopped her.

"Don't," she said. "Let her be alone for a while."

_**Yay! End of Chapter 11! So what do you think about Natalie's powers? I know I've gotten a lot of questions about them! So, Natalie's powers have finally been revealed and Cleo has gone crying to the moonpool. Also, what do you think of me tricking you about thinking that Natalie was evil like Charlotte? Awesome, right? But, anyhoo, keep reading and reviewing! :)**_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

July 26, 9:58 pm

Cleo sat in the moonpool, wiping the tears from her eyes. She knew deep down that Emma and Bella were dead. They had to be after more than a month. Her dream that they were alive on an island was just that: a dream.

The only reason why all three of them hadn't attempted to escape was they had no idea where they were and neither her nor Rikki could swim five days straight to California. Even with Natalie being a mermaid now, she wasn't a very strong swimmer yet. The best thing they could do was wait for rescue.

A clap of thunder sounded through the cave, scaring her out of her wits. _It must be raining outside. I'll wait it out in here. _Then she heard someone screaming her name. "Rikki! Natalie! Don't worry, I'm coming!" Cleo swam out of the tunnel, heading for the surface.

She saw a glimpse of blond hair on top of the water. "Rikki?" She streaked through the crashing waves towards the blond girl. Then, a strike of lightning lit up the girl's face.

"Oh my gosh, Emma!"

_**(A/N: This next section is dedicated to WALIXELA for her idea about Rikki's past. Thanks sooo much!)**_

_Earlier that Day_

Rikki sat on the sandy beach, staring at the sunset. Natalie walked up behind her, carrying a bottle of water. "You want some water?" she asked the blond.

The other girl shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good. Do you think I was too hard on Cleo? I mean, she's been very emotional since the accident and gets her feelings hurt easily."

"Well, you were a little blunt about it. Maybe this is what's keeping Cleo going; her dream that your friends are alive and she'll see them again. And then you crushed it."

"Oh, thanks a lot, Nat." Rikki said sarcastically.

"Well, you've been acting a little weird today, too. What's up?"

Rikki sighed. "Ok, but I've never told anyone else before. Not Cleo. Not Emma. No one."

"Ok, I feel very special."

"Well, today's the tenth anniversary of the day my mom left. It was very sudden. You see, my parents fought a lot when I was eight. My mom was kind of a free spirit, floating from one job to another, while my dad worked two jobs just to put food on the table. Eventually, the arguments would get so bad that I would hide in my closet until they were over. Then, one morning I woke up and found Dad sitting alone at the kitchen table. He told me that Mom had just packed her bags and left on a mini vacation. But she never came back. Six months after she left, Dad finally admitted that she was gone for good. But, he didn't know that I had heard their last argument."

"Their last argument?"

"Yeah. You see, that last night, my parents were having it out as usual…"

_Flashback_

_July 26, 2000_

"_Terry, I want a divorce!"_

"_Oh, and you think that you'll be able to support Rikki on your minimum wage job, Laura?"_

"_No, I don't even want her. You can have her. She's tying me down, Terry. I want to be free! Do you think that I'll be able to travel the world with a seven year old little girl?"_

"_First of all, she's eight. And second of all, why in the world would you want to abandon your daughter?"_

"_Oh, you know why. I've told you why ever since she was a baby!"_

"_Ok, Laura. But once you leave, what am I supposed to tell Rikki?"_

"_Tell her that I left. That's simple enough for her puny brain to process."_

_Meanwhile, eight year old Rikki was cowering in her closet, clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit to her chest. Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks and soaking the bunny's fur. Why didn't her mommy want her? _

_Eventually, Terry walked into Rikki's room and put her to bed, almost wanting to cry himself as he looked at his little daughter's puffy eyes. He didn't know that Rikki had actually heard every word of his and his now soon-to-be ex wife's argument. He simply thought that she had heard him and Laura yelling again and hid. She usually did that. _

_He walked out his daughter's room just in time to see Laura shoving the last few pieces of her clothing into a suitcase and carrying it out to a waiting taxi. He didn't know, but Rikki had woken up and snuck out of her room to see her mother hop into the taxi and take off…_

_End of Flashback_

Natalie wiped her eyes. "Rikki, that's so sad."

"But, anyway, that's what's been haunting me for the past ten years. Why didn't my mother want me? Was I a burden to her?"

Natalie looked at her. "I could find out for you." She went and touched Rikki's shoulder. She closed her eyes as images of Rikki's past flooded her brain.

_A young woman (Natalie recognized her as Rikki's mother from her long blond curly hair) was looking disgustingly at a crib where a baby in a pink sleeper slept…"Terry, I'm tired. It's been keeping me up all night again. I want to go out with my friends!"…"Why did we ever decide to have it? I'm nineteen, for goodness sakes! We were barely married for two years; we didn't need a kid thrown into the mix!"…Laura starting to yell at Terry while a toddler Rikki watched in fear…An older Rikki watching a taxi containing her mother heading down the street…_

Natalie sighed as the images stopped. _Rikki's parents were too young and apparently fell in love in high school and never graduated. Like Rikki said, her mother was a free spirit and thought that Rikki was tying her down and fled to keep her "freedom" even if it meant leaving her husband and daughter._

"Okay, Rikki. Your mom left because your parents married in high school and had you two years later. Your mother was a free spirit and thought you were preventing her from having "freedom". So, she left for good."

Rikki smiled sadly at Natalie. "Thanks, Nat." Just then, a clap of thunder interrupted their conversation. "It looks like another thunderstorm is headed our way. We better find Cleo."

Both mermaids dove into the ocean and took off towards the moonpool. Meanwhile, Cleo was in her own predicament…

Cleo watched in horror as Emma limply fell underneath the surface of the water. "Emma!" she screamed as she dove under and grabbed her friend's arm. "Come on, Em, stay with me!" Just then, Rikki and Natalie came up and looked shocked. Natalie helped Cleo with Emma while Rikki tried not to pass out herself. They pulled Emma to shore and Natalie noticed something.

"Hey, look at her tail!" The other girls looked down at Emma's tail and saw that it was now turquoise!

"She must've been caught in that full moon, too!" Rikki yelled over the wind. Cleo wasn't paying attention; instead she was peering at a bloody lump on Emma's forehead.

"This looks like a bad bump," she said while examining it. "We better get her inside." All three mermaids dragged Emma up the beach even though they had tails as well. As soon as they were in the sleeping cave, Rikki dried them off. Cleo turned on the lantern that had washed up on the island and then began to place a cold rag on Emma's bump.

"How do you think she survived?" Natalie asked.

"Maybe she was living on another island." Rikki suggested, thinking about Cleo's theory.

"Yeah, but Bella was with Emma. What happened to her?" Cleo said worriedly.

"I have no idea." Emma whispered.

_**Yay, Chapter 12 is done! This is the last chapter that was written on my iPod. But, don't worry! I have 8 more chapters that I've planned but haven't completely written yet. So, if they're a little later, that's why. And, is everyone happy that Emma is alive? I would not kill her off! (I actually hate killing characters off, but sometimes I do it anyway.) Anyhoo, now I bet that everyone will be asking about Bella. You will have to keep reading to find out! :)**_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

July 27, 12:05 am

All three girls stared as Emma sat up. "This needs more ice," she muttered as she froze the rag. "Okay, me and Bella found each other right before the Lorelei sunk. A piece of the mast fell and hit Bella on the head. She collapsed and I had to get both of us into the water. She was basically deadweight and I could barely keep us both afloat.

Around sunrise, I finally passed out from exhaustion. I woke up a few hours later on a similar island, but it was a little bit bigger than this one. Thinking Bella was there too, I searched the island for weeks. I discovered a moonpool on it and that's what happened to my tail. But, there was no sign of Bella.

Eventually, I had to accept that Bella was dead and so were you guys. Last week, I built a small raft and attempted to escape back to civilization. But, I didn't know about the full moon and got moonstruck. I apparently jumped off the raft during the night, because the next morning I came to in the middle of the ocean. I started swimming again, but the storm messed with the currents, which in turn drove me into the rocks at the edge of the cliffs. Next thing I know, I'm in this cave with you guys."

She then stared at Natalie. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Natalie smiled shyly. "I'm Natalie DeGrand and I'm from Florida. I shipwrecked here late last month. I accidentally turned into a mermaid here a few nights ago."

Emma frowned. "And you guys allowed this?" She shot an if-looks-could-kill-you-two-would-be-dead look to Cleo and Rikki.

"Oh, no, don't go all crazy psycho Emma on us." Rikki said. "We were locked up _away _from the full moon. We didn't even know that she knew that we had a moonpool."

Emma was staring at Natalie's locket. "Where did you get that?"

"On the bottom of the moonpool here." Natalie admitted, fingering her locket. "That's why my tail is dark blue. It's from the moonlight reacting with the reflection of the crystal." She opened it up. "And this is the girl." Emma examined the picture.

"Any idea who she is?" she asked. "She apparently must have something to do with the original three mermaids."

"No," Cleo said. "Nat, couldn't you use your power on it?"

"Wait, what power?" Emma asked.

Natalie let out a deep breath and placed a finger on the girl's face. The images started up.

_The young girl tripping and falling into a moonpool during a full moon…clumsy girl…swimming alone, her dark blue tail going well with her brown hair…arguing with a figure, it looked like a guy but it was blurry…crying while running out of a house…washing up on what looked like the beach on their island…"Ashley!" a male voice cried…_

All of a sudden, the images were cut off, leaving Natalie confused. _Is Ashley the girl's name? It certainly seems like it. Okay, so she tripped and fell in the moonpool at Mako when she became a mermaid, she was swimming _alone_, so that means that she wasn't related to the other three mermaids? Either that or she was a loner. She was arguing with what looked like a guy, but I couldn't tell what his face was. And she washed up on our beach._

"Emma, just so you know, if I touch someone or a picture of someone, I can see part of their life. And I just saw part of this girl's life. Her name is Ashley and she became a mermaid at the moonpool on Mako Island. Then, I saw her swimming alone, so that either means she was a loner or she wasn't related to the original mermaids."

"But Max must've made her locket." Emma said as she pointed to a few letters inside the lid. _**(A/N: Let's just pretend that Max signed his work.)**_ "See, M.H. He made this locket. So, he had to at least know about her."

"Anyway," Natalie continued, "then she was arguing with someone who looked like a guy, but he was a blur. After that, she ran out of a house crying. The last image was her washing up on this same beach. But right before they stopped, I heard a male voice yell, 'Ashley!'"

"Well, at least we have a name." Rikki said.

"But there's still something bothering me." Natalie said quietly. "In the first image, Ashley was wearing the locket while she was in the moonpool as a human. That means that her locket was made _before _her transformation!"

The other three girls stared at her. "But why would she get a locket before becoming a mermaid?" Cleo asked.

"I have no clue." Natalie admitted. "All I know is what was in my…I don't know what to call them."

"What about "flashes", like on Chuck?" Rikki suggested. _**(A/N: I am a HUGE "Chuck" fan. Bring on Season 4, baby!)**_

"I like that." Natalie said while smiling. "I like Chuck, too. Okay, from now on they will be called flashes!"

"So, in your flash, that was all you found out about Ashley?" Emma asked.

"Yes."

"Well, if you found her locket in the moonpool, maybe Ashley left something else there, too." Cleo concluded.

"I agree." Natalie said. "We'll have to go to the moonpool A.S.A.P!"

_**Okay, so now you found out Emma's story, and part of Ashley's. Will our favorite mermaids figure out the mystery behind Ashley? And will Bella ever be found? Find out in the next "episode" of H2O: Just Add Survival!**_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

August 5, 10:30 pm

Well, none of the girls had made it to the moonpool yet. The thunderstorm had soon turned into a mini hurricane, torturing the tiny island for the next eight days. Now, Rikki was going stir crazy from being locked up in the sleeping cave, Emma was trying out theories about Ashley, and Cleo and Natalie had just dragged themselves up to the fruit trees as mermaids to gather food.

All of a sudden, Emma thought she saw a faint light out in the sea. The rain had let up, leaving only wind in its place. Just then, all four girls heard the sound of a foghorn! "It's a ship!" Natalie screamed as she jumped up.

"Great deduction, Nancy Drew." Rikki said sarcastically.

Natalie gave her a look before running out the door. "Come on guys, this is rescue!" Cleo was right behind her, carrying a flashlight. Emma ran out as well, waving her arms and screaming frantically. Rikki finally walked out the door and yelled a little bit.

"Just don't expect me to do crazy Indian dances." Rikki yelled.

Cleo started to do SOS on the flashlight while Natalie shrieked, "Hey! Come back! We're over here!" Just then, Emma went and splashed into the ocean, heading for the ship!

"They'll never see us out here." Emma said over the wind. "I'll try to get them to come to the island." She flicked her turquoise tail quickly, trying to make up for lost time. _I have to get to this ship. I have to be rescued, no matter what the risk._

"Emma, come back! Someone might see you!" Natalie tried to yell to the blond girl. Emma couldn't hear her, so she kept swimming towards the ship, which strangely wasn't moving…

~*O*~

Meanwhile, ten year old Andrea Wilkens was standing on the deck of the cruise liner _Siren of the Pacific. _People were running and screaming on the decks because the ship had crashed into a coral reef. Water had already started to pour in. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot her brother Alex in the throngs of scared people. He was a steward on this ship and Andrea traveled with him when he worked.

The reason was that their parents had died two years ago in a car accident, making then twenty two year old Alex guardian of Andrea. So, Andrea got a half price ticket and was able to take _tons _of cruises. She basically lived on the ship and Alex homeschooled her. The trips were usually pretty awesome, until this one when the captain couldn't see through the storm and crashed into a coral reef.

Crew members were herding passengers to lifeboats, trying to stay calm. "Don't worry! Another ship is on the way. The lifeboats are just a precaution!" they yelled to the terrified people.

_I personally think that if another ship is on the way, why not wait for it to get here? _Andrea thought as she fiddled with the zipper on her windbreaker. Again, she looked for her brother. _Where is he? He only had to get a few things out his cabin. __**(room)**_She shifted her backpack on her shoulder and leaned against the rail.

Just then, the ship scraped even more against the coral reef, driving it under. Because of that, Andrea's side of the deck tilted, knocking her over the rail and into the churning sea. She screamed as she went under, choking on a mouthful of seawater. Wiping the salty spray out of her eyes, Andrea started yelling; hoping that one of the lifeboats could hear her. "Help! Somebody help me!" Fog had come after the storm, making the majestic ship no longer visible.

A hand touched Andrea's shoulder. She screamed and another hand clapped over her mouth. "Be quiet. I'm here to help you. Where's the ship?" Andrea turned around to look at the voice's face. It belonged to a blond girl with light blue eyes.

"I don't know. It just vanished into the fog," she said quietly, nervous about this rescuer. "Who are you?"

"I'm Emma." The girl began to cry in frustration. "We were so close to being rescued! We could've been saved from that island!" She looked at Andrea and sighed. "I guess you're coming with me."

"Wait, what about my brother? He works on that ship. I can't just leave him!" A tear ran down the younger girl's face.

"There's no way we'll be able to catch up with it." _At least not while I'm trying to act like a human. _

"But, the ship is wrecked. The lifeboats are in the water right now. Maybe there's one near us." Andrea stared into the fog, hoping to catch a glimpse of a lifeboat heading towards her. She almost wanted to cry when she saw none. Then, her backpack slipped off her shoulder, heading into a patch of coral. Andrea dove under after it, accidentally knocking her head against a sharp piece. She began to sink.

Emma gasped and swam to the girl, supporting her and grabbing the backpack in the process. As she surfaced, the first night came into her mind.

_Flashback_

_June 18, 11:20 pm_

_Emma knelt over Bella's limp figure. "Bella! Wake up, Bella!" She looked around the fiery inferno, searching for Rikki or Cleo. "Help! I need help!" Seeing no one, and the fire getting closer to her, Emma dragged Bella to the rail and threw her into the sea. Then, Emma jumped in after her. As she hit the water, she caught sight of an unconscious Bella sinking out of sight. Emma grabbed her and pulled them both up to the surface._

"_Rikki! Cleo! Where are you?" The sea was bright with lightning and the burning ship, but there was no sign of either of her friends. Then, the boat turned into a flaming explosion, throwing debris that threatened to hit Emma and Bella. Emma was forced to get further away from the light and into the night, hoping for a miracle that would let her find her friends…_

_End of Flashback_

By the time the memory had faded away, Emma saw the island coming into view. Cleo, Rikki, and Natalie were watching for her, scared looks on their faces. Natalie saw her first. "Emma, you're okay! We thought you'd be revealed for sure!" The redhead ran into the surf, her tail forming and causing her to fall face first into the water.

Rikki meanwhile was staring at Emma's passenger. "Aw, Em, you didn't."

"Rikki, she was sinking! What was I supposed to do, let her drown? She looks like she's around Elliot's age!"

Cleo looked at the younger girl, compassion in her eyes. "Rikki, this is what happened with Natalie. It was either help her or let her die. What did we choose then?"

The blond girl shrugged her shoulders. "And then what happened? Natalie found out our secret, found the moonpool, and became a mermaid. Do we want a repeat?"

"No, but we'll have to be even more careful. Absolutely no swimming, nothing that has to do with water _at all_. We can't let this one become a mermaid, even if it's really hard. Okay?" Rikki, Emma, and Natalie nodded solemnly.

"I agree." They all said at the same time.

The foursome then carried the new girl to the cave where they left her to sleep off her injury. Then, everyone else went to sleep, letting the wind lull them to the peaceful darkness…

_**Okay, a new girl thrown into the midst of Emma, Rikki, Cleo, and Natalie's lives! Why has fate brought her to the island? You'll have to see! Also, I have an important announcement. So, please pay attention! I am thinking about writing a sequel to this story once this one is finished! (I already have a basic plot set up.) But, before I make a final decision, I need my lovely reviewers' feedback! If you say, "Oh yeah, I want a sequel! Bring it on!" or something like that, I will put a sneak peek in the end of this story! (I'd like more than one person to say yes though before I do it.) So, keep on reading and reviewing!**__ :)_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

August 6, 10:31 am

_**(This whole chapter is dedicated to RECH2O for her numerous ideas for this chapter. You are awesome!)**_

_Weightlessness…the feeling of falling off of a twelve story ship and sinking underneath the sea. Feeling like this breath might be my last. Seeing my life pass before my eyes…pretty short since I'm only ten. Falling into what feels like a broken window…until I realize that it's only the water… _

A sharp pain slowly pulled Andrea out of her memories of the previous night. She groaned softly as the pain grew sharper and more painful. She opened an eye and saw that she was lying on what looked like a purple sleeping bag. Then, she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, you're finally awake! I was just about to check if you were still breathing!" It was her rescuer from last night. _Isn't her name Emma?_ "I'm Emma Gilbert, in case you don't remember. You hit your head pretty hard against that coral last night."

Andrea reached her hand up to her throbbing forehead and touched dried blood. She shuddered and put it down. "It's not as bad as it feels. We cleaned it last night, but we'll probably have to do it again."

"Wait, who's we?"

"Oh, I forgot. I have two friends: Cleo Setori and Rikki Chadwick. They shipwrecked here about a month ago with me." Emma decided to lie here so the new girl wouldn't question why Emma had gotten to the island later than Cleo and Rikki. "Also, Natalie DeGrand washed up here nine days after we did. And you are?"

"Andrea Wilkens. I'm ten and my brother works on the cruise ship that you rescued me from. It wrecked on the coral reef last night because of the storm. I had fallen off of the ship when you found me."

"Well, how about we go meet Cleo, Rikki, and Natalie?"

"Sounds awesome." Emma led Andrea outside the cave where Natalie was cooking breakfast, Rikki was hanging laundry, and Cleo was getting water. (using her powers of course) Natalie saw Andrea first and gave a big smile.

"Hi, I'm Natalie!"

"I'm Andrea. It's nice to meet you."

Cleo placed the bucket of water down and went to meet Andrea. "I'm Cleo and you must be our new guest. It's an honor to meet you."

Andrea liked both of the girls and gave her first smile since arriving. "I'm Andrea, Cleo. Are you from Australia? I thought I detected an accent."

"Yes, I am and so are Emma and Rikki. We were on our way to America when we wrecked. That's where Natalie's from."

"I'm actually from Miami, Florida." Natalie put in. "Me, my brother, and my dad were traveling around the world on our boat when I fell overboard in a freak storm. Rikki and Cleo found me on the beach the next morning."

Rikki came over then and gave a half smile. _I really don't want a repeat of the Natalie incident. _"I'm Rikki."

Andrea instantly felt some hostility coming from the blond girl. _She obviously doesn't want me here. I need to be polite anyway. _Andrea had dealt with her fair share of rude tourists living on the _Siren_. Alex had taught her to just ignore their rude behavior and just be nice. "Hi Rikki, I'm Andrea."

Rikki glanced her over before saying, "Nice to meet you," and went back to the clothes line.

"Don't mind Rikki," Emma whispered. "She has a hard time meeting new people." She wiped some sweat off her forehead. "We'd better put you to work. Natalie, would you show Andrea the island and have her help you get supplies? I can take care of breakfast." Emma distastefully looked at the blackened mess that Natalie called food.

"Okay, Em." Natalie looked at Andrea. "Well, let's get going!"

~*O*~

1:30 pm

Andrea groaned as she pulled some mangoes off a tree. Her muscles were killing her and she really just wanted to go to sleep. _I'm almost a professional swimmer! I should be able to pick some measly mangoes! _Natalie looked at her as she picked some bananas. "Come on Andrea! You can do it!"

Natalie then went to the handmade bucket to draw some water out of the spring. As she did, Andrea walked over to a coconut tree to get more fruit. Natalie glanced up as she tried to not get water on herself. "Be careful. You don't want to fall and hurt yourself even more than you already have."

The other girl pushed her blond straight hair out of her eyes and set her sights on the tree. _I have to prove that I'm not a little weakling. _Right before she began to climb, Andrea thought of a joke. She climbed up a little ways and screamed like she was falling to her death.

The bucket flew out of Natalie's hand as she jumped a foot. Water spilled all over the red haired girl. Natalie instantly freaked out. _Oh, no! I can't be revealed! _She ran to the ocean through the trees before she grew a tail.

Rikki, Emma, and Cleo hurried into the clearing to find Andrea laughing her head off. "That was so great! You should've seen her face!" Emma saw the overturned bucket of water and wet plants and connected the dots. She gave a look to Rikki, who followed the wet patches of grass to the beach where she found Natalie with a tail.

"Good thing I'm here to save your tail." Rikki boiled off Natalie's tail and helped her up. "Now, go back to the clearing like nothing is wrong." Natalie reluctantly went back through the trees while Rikki watched her. _I knew that Andrea was bad news._

~*O*~

August 11, 11:22 am

Emma sat on the beach, longingly looking at the clear blue water. Her mermaid instincts encouraged her to jump in. It took all of her self-control to disobey them. "You really like looking at the ocean, don't you?" It was Andrea.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I do."

"I heard that you used to swim competitively. Natalie told me about it."

_Natalie, you blabbermouth! _"Umm...I did. But, it was a long time ago. I don't anymore."

"Well, I do. I don't really right now since I live on a cruise ship, so there's not really anyone to compete against."

"That's too bad. Hey, did you finish getting fruit?" Emma asked, trying to get off the subject of swimming.

"Yeah. How about we race, you and me? Right here, right now. I promise to go easy on you."

"Uh, no, I can't." Emma was freaked out. _Is this how Natalie felt? _

"What do you mean, you can't? It's easy. You just get in the water and swim. Easy as pie."

"I just…I just can't. It's been too long since I swam, anyway."

"You haven't even swum just for fun?"

"No…this is really embarrassing, but I have a very strong fear of the ocean. My cousin got attacked by a shark last year and almost died. Because of that, I'm scared that I might get hurt, too." This was a lie since Emma didn't have a cousin who had gotten attacked by a shark.

"Oh, I understand now. I'm sorry." After she said that, Andrea stripped down to her pink tie-dye tankini and went to go swimming. Emma watched her splash in the waves for a while before going back to the sleeping cave, relieved that her lie had worked.

~*O*~

August 18, 8:47 pm

Cleo walked out to the beach, listening to the waves lap against the shore. _Tonight will be two months since the shipwreck happened. And two months since we lost Bella. _She wiped away a tear, trying to control herself.

"Cleo? Are you okay?" Cleo looked up as she saw Andrea walking towards her.

"Umm…yeah, I'm fine." She tried to control the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"You know, you're a really bad liar." Andrea nudged her in the shoulder and smiled. "So, seriously, what's up?"

"It's just that…it's just that tonight's the two month anniversary of the night our boat wrecked. For some reason I'm very emotional."

Andrea looked up at her. "It's not just that, though. Natalie told me about Bella. I wormed it out of her after I saw how sad you, Rikki, and Emma were."

Cleo wanted to throttle Natalie. _I thought she learned a lesson after Emma was almost revealed!_ "Uh, yeah, I'm really upset about Bella, too."

"I understand how you feel. I lost my brother and my 'family' from the _Siren_ that night that Emma rescued me. But, there's something that's bothering me. Why did Emma save me in the ocean that night if she's scared of the ocean?"

Cleo thought fast. "Emma had a raft that she was using to try to get to the ship. When she saw you struggling, she very bravely jumped off to help you. After you got knocked out, Emma put you on the raft and paddled to shore."

Andrea nodded, accepting this lie. "You know what I do when I'm really sad?"

"What?" Cleo replied, hoping it was simply curling up with a book and diving into a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.

"I go swimming. It's really relaxing and gets your mind free of all that stress. You should come with me."

"Umm…I don't think I should." Cleo fumbled for an excuse. Just then, one struck her. "You see, I'm scared of water."

"You're scared of water?" Andrea gave her look like she didn't believe her.

"Umm…yes! I'm absolutely terrified!"

Andrea gave a mischievous grin. "I know how to help you get over it."

"How…" Cleo's reply was cut off by Andrea tossing seawater into her face. She stood there in shock. "Andrea!" she wailed. Cleo ran into the darkened woods, getting into the edge of the woods before her tail appeared. _I hate this place, _she thought as she let her tears flow freely down her face.

~*O*~

August 18, 10:16 pm

While Cleo was lying in the woods with a tail, Rikki was swimming towards the moonpool. She twirled and flicked her tail underwater. _I haven't swum in almost a whole month! Emma would kill me if she knew I was out here. _

She swam up the tunnel into the secret cave. As she surfaced, she remembered the reason she was here. She looked at the small black bag she had brought with her. Lifting the object out of it, she let a small tear slide down her face and hit the water of the moonpool. It was Bella's crystal necklace.

Rikki had found it in the pocket of a pair of pants that had washed up on the island. She hadn't told Cleo because she knew that Cleo would totally break down at seeing such a personal item of Bella's.

She quietly found what she was looking for. In the rock wall at the side of the moonpool, there was a small crevice. Rikki silently slid the necklace inside of it, remembering her friend who was surely dead by now.

"Well, Bella, this is it. I don't know what happened to you, but I hope that whatever it was, it was quick and painless. You were one of my closest friends and…and I miss you." Here, Rikki began to sob, letting out all of the emotions that she had held inside of her.

"_Rikki…" _a voice whispered. Rikki turned around quickly, scared of what she might see. A blue glow came out of Bella's necklace, revealing an image of the missing girl!

"Oh my gosh, you're dead, aren't you? You have to be dead; otherwise I'm going nuts or having a crazy nightmare."

Bella smiled, her white dress flowing around her. "Rikki, I'm not dead. Tonight's the half moon. I can be seen when my crystal is exposed to the moonlight. I'm alive."

Rikki was in shock. "How are you alive? How did you survive after Emma lost you? It's been a month, Bella. Where are you?" _Why aren't Cleo and Emma here to see this?_

Just then, the half moon came over the hole at the top of the cliffs. The water began to glow and bubble. Bella looked up at it sadly. "Once the half moon leaves the hole, I'll vanish. Rikki, tell Cleo and Emma that I'm alive and thinking about them always. We'll find a way to be together, I just know it!"

"Bella, tell me where you are! I can swim over and find you! Please, Bella!"

"Rikki, it's too hard to explain. If I'm never found, at least Natalie has inherited my power."

"But she's not you! You are different from her! Bella, tell me where you are!"

The blue glow that was surrounding the image of Bella began to get brighter, almost concealing her from view. Rikki saw that the half moon had almost gone over the hole. She looked at Bella, who gave her a halfhearted smile. "It's time for me to go."

"Bella, no! Don't leave us again!"

The blue glow got even brighter, causing Bella to vanish.

"_I'll be counting the days until we see each other again…" _Bella whispered as the blue light disappeared. Rikki was left alone in the moonpool.

"Bella? Bella! Please come back, Bella!" Rikki began to sob again as the last traces of the blue light blew through her hair.

"_We'll see each other again, Rikki…"_

_**Yay! End of chapter 15! So, who is excited that Bella is alive? I know I am! And I have officially decided to do a sequel! I will leave a sneak peek at the end of this story, which will be 21 chapters long, along with an epilogue. Please keep on reading!**_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

August 24, 7:09 pm

Cleo and Natalie were working on putting the door over the cave entrance. Emma and Rikki had just finished remaking it that afternoon. Cleo wiped away a tear as she helped Natalie tie the door to the rock. _Is Bella prepared for tonight's full moon? _Rikki had come back that night and told them what she saw…

_Flashback_

_August 19, 12:14 am_

_Emma was pacing back and forth in the cave, muttering about Rikki. "I just bet that she went swimming. When she gets back, she is going to get an earful!"_

_Then, Rikki walked through the door, pale as a ghost. Emma whipped around, very angry towards her. "Rikki Chadwick, where have you been? Andrea could've seen you!"_

_Rikki shrugged her shoulders. "I went to the moonpool, Em. I know that I broke the rules. But, I discovered something amazing."_

"_It doesn't matter, Rikki! If this was Survivor, I would've voted you off the island!"_

"_Oh, so it doesn't matter if Bella's alive?" The other three girls stared at her. Cleo's mouth had dropped open._

"_Bel…Bella's alive?" Cleo stuttered._

_Rikki took out the crystal necklace. "This is Bella's necklace. I didn't tell Cleo that I found it just in case she decided to have a mental breakdown. Tonight, I went to the moonpool to leave it in Bella's memory. _

_When her crystal was exposed to the half moonlight, she appeared. Bella told me that she was alive, but wouldn't tell me where she was. I tried to get her to tell me, but the half moon went over the hole in the cliffs, making Bella vanish."_

_Emma picked up the crystal necklace, tracing the spots where Bella had worn it down with her constant fingering. "Nat, do you think you could use your power on this? Maybe you can see where Bella is."_

_Natalie held the necklace by the string and quietly put one finger on the crystal. No images appeared. "I'm sorry guys; I guess my power doesn't work on objects." The other three girls looked crestfallen. _

"_Maybe we're just not meant to know where Bella is…" Rikki trailed off._

_End of Flashback_

"Cleo, come back to Earth. The moon's about to rise!" Natalie said.

Cleo shook her head, the flashback gone. "Sorry, I was in my own world."

Andrea walked inside the cave and looked at the new object. "What's that for?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Umm…I think that it's going to storm tonight." Cleo said quickly. "We need a door to keep out the rain." Andrea gave the door one last glance before saying,

"Okay." The full moon was beginning to rise, so Rikki and Emma hurried inside. Natalie got the sleeping bag since she was the newest mermaid and it was her first full moon. Rikki, Emma, and Cleo were making do with t-shirt masks.

"Come on, Andrea!" Emma yelled urgently to the young girl. Andrea came into the cave, looking a little confused.

"I don't see any storm clouds."

"I have this old injury," Cleo lied, "and when it's about to storm, it hurts."

Andrea seemed to accept this, making all four mermaids relieved. "Let's just go to sleep." Emma said, snuggling into the palm frond mat that she was sleeping on. The other four girls lay down and went to sleep, too.

10:48 pm

Andrea woke up, very thirsty. She leaned over and grabbed her water bottle, becoming very upset to find it empty. _I'll have to go to the spring to get some more. _She walked over to the door and opened it, tripping over Rikki in the process.

"What are you doing, trying to wake the…" Rikki trailed off when she saw the full moon high in the sky. She began to giggle, totally moonstruck. Andrea hadn't seen this because she had already started walking to the spring.

Rikki started to shake Emma. "Emma, wakey-wakey!" Emma took off her mask and saw the moon's reflection, making her moonstruck as well. They repeated the process with Natalie and Cleo, causing all four of them to be crazy and moonstruck.

"We should make Andrea see the moon's beauty." Cleo said dreamily.

"She's not a mermaid, you idiot!" Rikki said, still maintaining her personality.

"Then why don't we make her a mermaid?" Emma suggested.

"I think that's a great idea." Natalie said eagerly. The four girls walked out of the cave, calling Andrea's name.

Andrea came out of the trees to be ambushed by Emma, Rikki, Cleo, and Natalie. "Let me go, you guys!" Andrea cried as they carried her to the water. She gasped as she watched them grow tails. "You're mermaids?" she whispered. She couldn't ask anymore questions because she was then dragged underneath the water.

As she was dragged underwater, Andrea looked around, surprised at how eerie everything looked in the light of the full moon. The mermaids pushed her up to the surface, allowing Andrea to get a short breath before pulling her back under. She was then forced up an underwater tunnel and surfaced in a strange pool. "Where am I? What are you guys doing to me?"

None of the girls said anything; instead they sat there, smiling their goofy smiles. Cleo made a quick hand movement, causing Andrea's wrists and ankles to be tied together with…water? "Cleo, how did you do that?" she asked, very confused.

Just then, Natalie swam over and forced her to look up at the hole in the top of the cave. The full moon came over it, making the water glow and bubble. Bubbles came from Andrea and Natalie and went up to the full moon. Then, Andrea was hit by something hard, causing her to sink to the bottom of the pool, the crazy laughter of the mermaids being the last thing she heard before everything faded to black…

_**Okay, guys, what do you think? Looks like Andrea's going to be a mermaid! You'll have to find out her powers in chapter 17 of H2O: Just Add Survival!**_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

August 25, 9:24 am

Natalie awoke to a wave splashing her in the face. As she spat out the salty water, she looked around her. She was on the beach, with the other mermaids beside her. _What happened last night? I must've gotten moonstruck; otherwise I'd be in the cave right now. And it looks like I wasn't the only one. _

She got up and went to check on Andrea. _I hope that we didn't freak her out too badly. _As she walked inside, she saw that the younger girl was gone! "Oh my gosh! We killed her!"

"Killed who?" Rikki had come into the cave.

"Andrea! I can't find her!"

"Nat, that doesn't mean that we killed her. We don't get _that _crazy." She tried to put what happened to Lewis in the back of her mind. "Come on; let's get Emma and Cleo up."

The two girls woke up the others and they spread out over the island to try to find Andrea. There was no sign of her. Finally, they all went to the moonpool.

Cleo gasped when she found Andrea limply lying on the bottom of the pool! She pulled her up and put her on the ledge. "I can't find a pulse."

"See? We did kill her!" Natalie yelled.

"Wait…" Rikki said. She quietly dried the girl off and sprinkled some water on her.

"Rikki, stop! We need to do CPR!" Emma cried.

Just then, Andrea grew a pinkish-orange tail and bikini top. Her chest began to slowly go up and down. "We must've done this to her last night." Rikki admitted.

"We almost committed murder." Cleo said as she looked at the large bump on the back of Andrea's head and marks on her wrists. "That was quick thinking, Rikki."

"I figured she was a mermaid. I just wasn't sure if making her transform would make her live."

Andrea began to stir and opened her eyes. She started screaming. "Leave me alone, you freaks!"

"She knows." Natalie said simply.

"Well, duh, Nat." Emma said, rolling her eyes. _Sometimes Natalie can be such a blond._

Andrea was still screaming. She looked down at her tail and her mouth dropped open. "What happened? What did you do to me?"

Emma pointed to the moonpool. "We were being controlled by the full moon. We dragged you here and forced you to become a mermaid in this pool."

"So, you're mermaids. How is that possible?"

"Oh, it's very possible." Rikki said. "There are pools like this around the world. One in Australia, one in Ireland, and one here. There are crystals in the pool that, when combined with a full moon, can cause a girl to become a mermaid. That's what happened to all of us."

"You also received special powers." Emma said. "Guys, let's demonstrate."

So, all four girls showed their powers to Andrea. She was very impressed. "Let me try." She tried all four water movements, but nothing happened. She shrugged her shoulders, her palms facing up. "I guess I don't have those powers."

Just then, the water in the moonpool exploded, flying up to the ceiling of the cave, drenching all five mermaids. The four older ones sat in shock. "You just exploded the water." Cleo said in awe.

Andrea looked down at her hand, scared at what she just did. She quickly put her hand out again, causing rain to fall into the moonpool. "Okay, I can explode water and control rain. What else can I do?" she asked eagerly.

"We don't know." Emma admitted. "You might find out in time."

The five girls swam back to the beach. Natalie decided to go and practice her powers. She made her jelly hand motion, but a little faster than she usually did. All of a sudden, the ground began to shake. Natalie was knocked flat on her face.

"Earthquake!" Cleo screamed from the grove of fruit trees. Natalie put her hand down and the ground stopped shaking.

"I…I can create earthquakes?" she gasped. _**(A/N: That idea is dedicated to Marril96.)**_

Rikki came running up to Natalie. "Nat…did you just do that?"

"Umm…yeah, sorry. Was anyone hurt?"

"No, everyone's fine. And Andrea just found out her third power."

"What is it?"

"She can control plants. Isn't that weird? She just doubled our fruit supply." _**(Also dedicated to Marril96)**_

"Wow, that is weird…and cool at the same time."

"Let's go celebrate!" Both girls went running to their friends.

~*O*~

September 2, 2:39 pm

Emma stood on the beach, looking out to the horizon. There hadn't been any signs of rescue for weeks. _Everyone probably thinks that we're dead. That cruise ship was probably our only chance to be saved and I blew it. Now, our only option is…to escape. _She shook her head. "No way, that's crazy," she muttered. "But, crazy enough that it might just work."

She walked back up the beach. "Rikki, Cleo, Natalie, Andrea! Come here, I need to talk to you!" The four girls came running.

"What's up?" Rikki asked.

"I've been thinking…we haven't seen any ships or planes for weeks. Everyone we know probably thinks that we're dead. So…what if we built a raft and headed east? We'd hit California eventually."

"I've been thinking the same thing, Em." Cleo put in. "That's basically our only option. It's either that or spend the rest of our lives on this island."

Rikki, Natalie, and Andrea nodded in agreement. "I can help with a design." Natalie said. "I'm good with drawing."

"Awesome." Emma said. "Now, let's get to it!"

A basic idea was soon drawn up. It would be a large enough raft for one person to sit on. The other four would be in the water; two in the front and two in the back. The front two girls would be hooked up to the raft by harnesses and they would pull the raft. The back two would be in charge of pushing it. The girl that was seated would control the steering. They would trade on and off every few hours.

But, while the girls were building their raft, something else was about to change their plans. For, by the rocks near the cliffs, there was a strange object floating in the waters. Something that looked like an unconscious blond mermaid with a green tail…

_**Dun-dun-dun! Is this mermaid Bella? (I won't torture you, so I'll tell you that yes, it is.) How did she come back? Is she alive? And what about their plans of escape? Will the arrival of Bella change them? Find out in the next "episode" of H2O: Just Add Survival…**_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

September 3, 11:36 am

Andrea swam towards the moonpool, enjoying being a mermaid. She had slowly adjusted and with the help of her four friends, learned to control her powers. Now, they were almost finished with gathering supplies for their escape raft and Andrea was taking a break.

"_Help me…" _a hoarse voice whispered.

"Who's there?" Andrea asked, wishing she had let Rikki go with her. Then, she saw it. A blond mermaid with a green tail washed up against the rocks by the cliffs. "RIKKI!" Andrea shrieked.

~*O*~

Rikki had heard Andrea's cries for help and had swam over to find Andrea knelt over Bella!

"Oh my gosh…" Supporting the girl between them, Rikki and Andrea swam as fast as they could back to the beach. Emma and Cleo were already waiting for them.

"It looks like she's dehydrated," Cleo said as she checked for a pulse, "and she's burning up."

"Okay, Andrea, get water and lots of it." Emma barked, immediately taking charge. "Natalie, look in the first aid kit for any ibuprofen. Rikki, help Andrea with boiling water. Cleo, we've got to get her temperature down." _I'm glad I took that first-aid course while I was gone._

After carrying Bella to the sleeping cave using a makeshift stretcher, Emma used her power to cool Bella down. Natalie found a little bit of ibuprofen, which Cleo gave to Bella crushed up in water. But, the girl continued to stay unconscious. "Come on, Bella, wake up." Cleo urged.

Emma meanwhile was crying as she tried to get some water down Bella's throat. "If she dies, it's all my fault!"

"Just because you lost her? Em, it's amazing that you were able to hold on to her that long! Stop beating yourself up about it!"

The blond girl wiped away her tears. "I…I guess you're right. But, what if Bella never wakes up?"

"How about we take it one day at a time."

~*O*~

A few days had passed, leaving Emma in a nervous wreck. She never left Bella's side, only eating and sleeping when Rikki and Cleo forced her to. Well, it mostly happened because Rikki threatened to slam Emma's head through the cave wall if she didn't. But, hey, whatever worked.

Bella meanwhile had remained the same. Most of the time she floated in and out of feverish dreams, crying out sometimes. Emma would be right beside her, silent tears streaming down her face.

Emma was now wiping Bella's sweat soaked face with a cool rag. "Bella…I don't know if you can hear me right now, but if you can, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I put you through whatever crud you were in. But, can you please wake up so I can tell you that in person?" Bella remained motionless, her body limp from exhaustion.

A tear ran down Emma's face as she watched her weakened friend. _What happened to you, Bella? I've never seen you so still before. Were you on another island? Apparently, since your tail has changed colors. _Just then, Bella's eyes slowly opened.

"Emma? Is that you?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Bella, it's me."

"Is this heaven? I mean, is this some sick hallucination so I can see you right before I die?"

"No, you're on Rikki and Cleo's island. You were found a few days ago and have been almost in a coma ever since."

"I was? All I remember is trying to escape my island and getting lost. Next thing I know, I wake up and see your face."

"You've been freaking us out, Bella. Ever since you made contact with Rikki, we've been waiting for you to come back."

"Okay, if you want my story, here it is. I don't remember anything about that first night. I woke up on an island the next morning, all alone. As you can see, it had a moonpool. I discovered it the same night as a full moon because…I guess I was drawn to it.

Then, I tried to escape, but I ended up being forced to live on another island without a moonpool because I almost died of exhaustion. Plus, I was already fighting infection from this." Bella pointed to the large mark on her forehead from the burnt piece of mast that had hit her on the head.

"I lived on that island for the next month. That's when I made contact with Rikki. I told her that I was alive, but that was about all that I could tell her before I was forced to leave. On the next full moon, I was careless. I looked directly at it…because I didn't care anymore. I was sick and tired of being alone and figured that maybe I could find you guys that way. I guess I did, in a way."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, then you scared Andrea half to death when she found you."

Rikki walked into the cave. "Hey Em, we finished the…Bella, you're up!" She began crying as she almost tackled Bella. "You're alive! We thought you were dead!" She playfully punched Bella in the shoulder. "Don't ever scare us like that again!"

Emma wiped away a few tears. "Rikki, what were you coming to tell me?"

"Me, Natalie, Cleo, and Andrea just finished the raft. It's ready to be loaded with supplies."

"You're building a raft?" Bella looked shocked and surprised. "But what about all the dangers of the ocean? We could run out of food and water, we could be attacked by sharks, die of heatstroke, I could list a hundred more reasons why we shouldn't go."

"Well, if worst comes to worst, we can draw straws and see which one of us the others will eat." Rikki said sarcastically. Emma stifled a giggle at the old memory.

Bella frowned, rubbing her fingers through her blond hair. "That's not funny, Rikki. But, this is our only option. I guess I'll help you with the raft."

"First, you need to rest." Emma said, pushing her gently back down onto the sleeping bag. "You need all your strength for the journey."

Both Emma and Rikki left Bella to sleep and walked outside into the bright tropical sunshine. Cleo and Andrea were carrying armloads of fruit to the large raft. It was nine feet long and six feet wide. Natalie was placing a canopy made of old clothing over the wooden raft. It would provide shade during the long, hot days.

"It's perfect, Rikki." Emma said happily. "And it's large enough for Bella to rest on."

"I knew you'd like that feature." Rikki replied. "Now, let's get to work."

The two blonds walked down towards their friends, the thought of escape firmly planted in their minds.

Meanwhile, inside the moonpool, a piece of rock loosened by Natalie's earthquake fell, revealing an old faded piece of paper…

_**Okay, end of chapter 18! Only four more to go! So, what is this piece of paper? Will the girls be able to figure it out? And is escape within reach? Find out in the next part of H2O: Just Add Survival!**_

_**Also, I got a review from loveduv431 and I wanted to answer your question since you don't have an account. The girls haven't tried to escape before now because they had no idea where they were and they couldn't swim that far without stopping. Cleo has also held onto the idea that Emma and Bella were alive, so she wanted to be reunited with them first. Natalie was also a piece to the puzzle before she became a mermaid, so that would've been a problem too with escaping. I hope that answered everything! :D**_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

September 5, 9:30 am

_**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the many people who died on 9/11/01. Rest in peace.**_

Natalie rolled over, bumping into Bella. The girl groaned softly in pain, but remained asleep. Natalie flinched, hoping that she hadn't caused any further damage to the poor girl. She didn't know what Bella had gone through the past few months, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to. Then, Andrea's elbow poked her in the eye.

"Ow! Andrea, get your elbow out of my eye!"

"Oh my gosh, are you okay, Nat?"

"No, the searing pain in my eye actually feels great, thank you." _Great, now I'm starting to sound like Rikki._ Natalie sighed when she saw the hurt look on Andrea's face.

Rikki sat up. "Will you two just shut up? What are you trying to do, wake the dead?"

"Sorry, Rikki." Natalie said sheepishly. Rikki turned over to face the wall, but Natalie could hear her muttering.

"…Need a bigger cave…falling over people every time I move…" Rikki muttered, extremely annoyed.

Then, Emma woke up. "Rikki! Be polite! We don't act this grouchy in the morning when you accidentally wake us up!"

"Yeah, but you're a morning person, Em. I'm a person who needs a gallon of coffee before I'm 'happy, cheery Rikki' but, if you haven't noticed, we are on a desert island where there's _no _coffee. So, I have a reason to be grouchy!"

Emma backed off a little bit, knowing that it was a bad idea to take the argument any further. "Hey, we never found anything about Ashley at the moonpool, did we?"

"No, we didn't." Natalie said quickly, trying to prevent Rikki from killing Emma.

"What if we went there today? We're leaving tomorrow anyway, so this would be a nice way to spend our last day here."

"That's a great idea, Emma." Andrea replied with a big grin on her face. "I've also wanted one of those crystal necklaces like Bella, Rikki, and Cleo have."

"So have I." Natalie put in. "And it'd be great since the crystals would be from this island."

"Okay, I guess we can." Rikki huffed. "Let me get another two hours of sleep first though." She buried her head in her arms and immediately started snoring softly. Emma shook her head and laid back down, too. Natalie and Andrea followed suit.

~*O*~

Around noon, the girls finally got their butts out of bed and headed to their sanctuary. Andrea was in the lead, twirling in the coral reefs and admiring the beautiful colors. Cleo, Rikki, and Natalie were riding on dolphins, happily enjoying the morning. Emma and Bella played tag, zooming through the bright pieces of coral. All six of them were having the time of their lives, not wanting it to end.

Eventually, they all reached the moonpool and surfaced, still in awe of the pool of water that had changed their lives so drastically. Natalie noticed something on the sand by the pool. "What's that?"

"It looks like a piece of paper." Rikki said as she dried herself off and walked over to it. She gasped when she read the first few lines. "Oh my gosh…"

"What is it?" Cleo asked, very concerned.

Rikki began to read the paper.

"_To whom it may concern: _

_My name is Ashley Leila Hamilton. I'm sixteen years old and I am a mermaid. I'm admitting this to you because if you're in this cave, you are probably a mermaid, too. I have been living on this island for six months now and have decided to leave and make a new life for myself in California. I'm originally from the Gold Coast in Australia, but I was forced to leave. Why? I'll tell you:_

_I was thirteen years old when my older brother Max began acting strangely about Mako Island, a mysterious island near where I lived. He also started avoiding my questions about it even though I knew he went out there. He began hanging out more with Gracie Watsford, Louise Chatham, and Julia Dove. They were very secretive and I suspected it had something to do with Mako._

_One night on a full moon when I was fifteen, I made my way to Mako and fell into a strange pool. The next morning, I woke up as a mermaid. A few days later, I discovered that I could turn water into jelly. Also, I touched Max's shoulder and discovered that he was in love with Gracie. _

_A month after I became a mermaid, I showed my tail to my brother and made him swear not to tell anyone. He was very understanding about my secret and helped me on full moons and with controlling my powers. I was still wary about Max's friendship with Louise, Gracie, and Julia. What if he let something slip about me, his little sister?_

_Then, when I was fifteen and a half, everything collapsed around me. First, my parents died in a plane crash. Then, I was almost revealed when I found Gracie, Julia, and Louise in the moonpool cave on Mako. They never saw me, but I was furious with Max. After a big argument with him, I packed a bag and went to Mako. Fearing that I was still in danger, I left my sanctuary and just swam. Eventually, I landed on this island and have been here ever since. _

_Now, I've realized that I have to move on with my life. So, I'm heading to California and am leaving this note here. Also, I'm leaving my locket that Max made me before I became a mermaid in the moonpool. I don't want anything related to him anymore. You can have it. I don't care._

_-Ashley H."_

The six girls stared in surprise as Rikki finished reading. Natalie gently caressed her locket as she thought of the young girl who had worn it.

"It's dated November 18, 1958." Rikki said quietly.

"That poor girl…" Cleo trailed off.

The rest only sat in silence and imagined the sixteen year old who wrote the letter fifty years ago and about to begin a journey into the unknown. A journey that they were about to partake in themselves…


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

September 6, 5:45 am

"Well, I guess this is it." Emma said sadly as she loaded the sleeping bag onto the raft. Natalie nodded, fingering the crystal necklace that Bella had made yesterday. The crystals on this island were surprisingly green instead of the blue from Mako Island. Andrea had an identical necklace around her neck.

"You know, we never named this island." Cleo pointed out.

"What about 'Sirena Island'?" Bella suggested. "'Sirena' is the Spanish word for mermaid."

"I like that name." Rikki said. "But now, we have to get going."

Rikki and Cleo were pushing the raft from behind first. Natalie and Emma put on their harnesses that were made of vines and prepared to pull the tiny craft. Andrea was steering the tiller and Bella was simply resting on the sleeping bag. The raft had supplies tied down everywhere, from fresh water to dried fish. What was left of their clothes was the canopy to keep them cool.

Emma and Natalie ran into the surf, pulling the raft behind them. Bella and Andrea held on for dear life. Rikki and Cleo fell in behind the raft and began to push it.

"Andrea, steer!" Rikki yelled when the raft threatened to run into the rocks by the cliffs. Andrea took the tiller and turned it away from the deadly rocks. The raft obeyed and went out to sea. Everyone sighed deeply and began their long journey.

The raft got further away when a fog surrounded them. It took all of their strength to pull the craft out of it. "Look!" Natalie cried.

All of the girls stared at the dense fog that shielded their island from view. "No wonder no one ever found us." Bella whispered.

~*O*~

The following days and nights were full of trials. Days seemed to stretch forever and were very hot and humid. Nights were freezing cold and were darker than any other night the girls had ever experienced. Finally, on the seventh day of their trying journey, Natalie spotted a strip of green. "Land ho!" she yelled.

The sound of those words produced a burst of energy in the six girls, causing them to propel themselves towards the sweet land. They pushed the raft onto the shore and praised God that they had made it safely. Just then, they heard a voice behind them.

"Hey, put your hands up!" The girls complied and turned around to see a police officer staring at them. "Wait a minute; you're those six missing girls, aren't you?"

Rikki, Emma, Cleo, Bella, Natalie, and Andrea nodded. "You've been presumed dead for weeks! Everyone has been searching for you!"

Cleo smiled. "It's very nice to talk to you, but could you direct us to the UCLA campus so we can meet up with our friend Lewis McCartney?"

"Sorry, ma'am, but I need to get you girls to the hospital so they can check you for any strange tropical diseases and such. So let's go."

The six girls were shoved into two police cars and taken to the UCLA Medical Center. Luckily, Cleo was able to make a call to Lewis and he hurried over to the hospital.

"Excuse me, nurse, but where is Cleo Setori's room?" Lewis asked a nurse when he walked in.

She looked him over suspiciously. "Are you a reporter?"

"No, I'm Cleo's boyfriend. She was coming to visit me when she disappeared. Can you please give me her room number?"

"I need to ask Cleo first to confirm your identity. How do you spell your name?"

Lewis was very frustrated now. "L. E. Wis. Lewis!"

The nurse stared at him before leaving the nurse's station and heading down the hall. She came back a few minutes later. "All right, go on back."

"Thank you." Lewis went to the same room that he had seen the nurse walk into. Rikki was in one bed and Cleo was in the one by the window. An I.V. was connected to her arm and she was definitely skinner than when Lewis had last seen her, but she was still Cleo.

"Lewis!" Cleo cried happily.

"Cleo! Are you okay?" Lewis wrapped Cleo in a hug and began to kiss her.

"Ugh, at least close the curtain." Rikki said as she covered her eyes.

"Nice to see you too, Rikki." Lewis said politely.

Rikki smiled. "Bella and Emma are in the room to the left of us and Natalie and Andrea are to the right." She knocked on the wall behind her head. "Hey, Em, Lewis's here."

"Hi, Lewis!" Emma's voice came faintly from the other side of the wall.

"Hey, Emma. I'll be over there in a bit."

"Oh, it's ok. Keep on kissing your girlfriend. I'm talking to Ash right now on the phone."

"Em, quit hogging the phone! I want to talk to Will!" Bella said urgently.

"So, what happened to you guys?" Lewis asked Cleo. "You certainly gave us quite a scare these past few months."

"Well, first our boat exploded when it was struck by lightning." Rikki said.

"Then, me and Rikki landed on an island and rescued Natalie when we found her in the ocean. She accidentally turned into a…well, you know." Cleo continued.

"Wait, you had a moonpool on your island?" Lewis seemed shocked.

"Yes, now let me finish. Emma washed up on our island about a month after we wrecked. Bella just arrived early this month. Andrea was rescued by Emma in early August. We got moonstruck and forced her to become one of us."

"So, you built a raft and escaped to California?"

"Yeah, we did. But, that's not it." Cleo pulled Ashley's letter out of the pocket of her hospital robe. "Read this."

Lewis obeyed and was very surprised. "I didn't even know that Max had a sister."

"Neither did we. We need to show Max this letter."

"Well, you're in luck. Max was visiting me when I got your call. I'll have him come down to the hospital." Lewis pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to call Max. After the call was over, he smiled. "He's happy to come. I'll see if the nurses will let Emma, Bella, Natalie, and Andrea come to your room."

~*O*~

A few hours later, all six girls were in Rikki and Cleo's hospital room and Max was reading Ashley's letter. He let out a big sigh as he looked at Natalie's locket. "I bet that you want to hear Ashley's story." The girls nodded furiously.

"Ashley was a feisty young girl, always getting into mischief. When I made Gracie, Louise, and Julia's lockets, Ashley wanted one, too. I made her one with a sapphire stone for her love of the ocean, but I didn't carve any waves in the back. She was almost fourteen then.

I was being secretive about Mako because I wanted to protect my sister, but it just brought out her curiosity. She snuck out to Mako Island and accidentally became a mermaid. Her tail color was different from the other mermaids, but I figured that the crystal in her locket had to do with it. She showed me her tail and made me swear not to tell a soul. Out of loyalty to her, I never told anyone, not even Gracie."

"But what about Ashley's letter? She thought you did tell them." Emma pointed out.

"From what it says, it seems that Ashley saw Louise, Julia, and Gracie in the cave and thought I told them. She didn't know that the others went out there often. I made sure of it."

"Ashley's locket has waves on the back." Rikki mused. "When did you do that?"

"A little while after she became one. I carved four waves since she was the fourth mermaid. I also took that picture of her on the beach at Mako. I put the picture inside her locket and she loved it. Then, a few weeks later, it happened."

"The argument?" Andrea asked eagerly.

"Yes, the argument." Max smiled at the younger girl. "Ashley came home from Mako one day and started screaming at me. She was scared, but I didn't know that at the time. We got into a big fight. After it was over, Ashley ran to her room and slammed the door. When it was quiet, I went in and found that she was gone.

I figured that she was at Mako and went over there in my boat to bring her back. I found a note from her at the moonpool saying that she was leaving for good. I notified the police who searched for her for weeks. Eventually, she was presumed dead. I was heartbroken and threw my time into trying to figure out why the other girls were mermaids.

I thought I had lost my sister forever until I read this note. Maybe she did make it to California. I hope that she made a good life for herself." With that, Max left the hospital room and headed for the parking lot.

Everyone was wiping tears from their eyes, including Rikki. "That's so sad." Natalie whispered, stroking her locket.

"Do you know what we should do?" Emma asked.

"What?" everyone replied.

"We should solve the mystery of Ashley for once and for all. For Max's sake. He's had to live fifty years without knowing for sure if his sister was alive or dead. We could try to look her up in California. We made it, so she probably did, too."

"But, Emma, our parents are coming here tomorrow. We're leaving for Australia three days from now. There wouldn't be enough time." Bella pointed out.

"We can at least try." Emma tried to sound convincing.

"I agree with Emma." Natalie said firmly. "Didn't you guys see how heartbroken Max was when he was telling Ashley's story? He needs to know the truth about his sister."

"I can search her name on the Internet." Lewis said. "See if I can find anything out about her."

"That's great, Lewis." Cleo said. "Be sure to look up hospital records. Ashley might have been taken to the hospital if she made it here."

"I will, don't worry." Lewis pulled out his laptop and started tinkering away with it. The other girls began throwing out ideas to him, working late into the afternoon.

~*O*~

Max sat in his hotel room struggling to not cry. He opened up his wallet and took out a small black and white photo. It was of Ashley and him right before she left. Gracie had taken the photo in their front lawn. Max was leaning up against a tree, pointing up at Ashley, who had climbed up the tree and was laughing like an idiot. She was always up to something, whether it be climbing trees or sneaking prune juice into his soda.

He looked at the other photo, which was Ashley in the Mako Island moonpool smiling like she had the best kept secret in the world. "You did, sis, you did," he whispered, thinking about his sweet sister.

_Flashback_

_May 15, 1958_

"_I hate you, Max!" Fifteen year old Ashley ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door loudly._

"_Ashley…I never told anyone! Come on, please open the door." Seventeen year old Max Hamilton ran his fingers through his brown hair. Being the guardian to your younger sister was hard. __**(A/N: I think laws were more lenient in the fifties about guardianship. If not, this is just a fanfiction. And Max is almost 18, anyway.)**_

_A few hours past and Max couldn't hear Ashley banging around in her room and throwing things anymore. He made her favorite cookies (snickerdoodle) and climbed up to her room. "Ash…I'm sorry, but I didn't tell anyone about you. Now, can you please let me in?" To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Max pushed it open and looked inside. Ashley was gone._

"_Okay, don't panic. She probably just went to Mako to blow off some steam. Start by looking there." Max got the keys to his boat and headed to Mako Island. He slid down to the moonpool. "Ashley? Ash, I know you're in here." He waited to hear her tear-choked voice say, 'Go away, Max'. There was no response._

_Just then, he saw the white piece of paper stuck to the moonpool walls. It had Ashley's handwriting on it._

"_Dear Max," he read._

"_It's me, your sister. I know you must be panicking by now, so stop. I'm not coming back. I know that you told Gracie, Louise, and Julia about me and who knows who else you told about my secret. So, I'm heading away from here forever. Don't go searching for me. Just leave me alone._

_Love, your ex-sister,_

_-Ashley Leila Hamilton"_

_Max almost started screaming at his sister even though she wasn't there. "Ashley!" he yelled before collapsing onto the moonpool sand._

_End of Flashback_

Max was sobbing now, remembering his stubborn young sister who was surely dead by now…

~*O*~

"I found her!" Lewis cried.

"You did?" all six mermaids gasped.

"Only a marriage license. Your Ashley Leila Hamilton is now Ashley Leila Brady. She married Thomas Brady in 1961."

"That's awesome, Lewis!" Emma said. "Very helpful."

"I'm going to get some fresh air." Rikki said as she walked out of the room and down the hallway. She walked past the nurse's station and went up the elevator to the next floor. She was curious about the hospital and wanted to see what was up there. This floor was darker and more quieter than the floor below her.

"Hey! What are you doing up here? You're not a patient up here, are you?" an angry doctor glared at her.

"No, I was just exploring…sorry." Rikki went back to the elevator. Just then, she heard a familiar name.

"…I need some more water for Mrs. Ashley Brady…"

Rikki wanted to jump for joy. _Ashley's in the same hospital as us! _Then, Rikki saw the sign for the floor that she was on and almost fainted.

_**Oncology…**_

_**End of chapter 20! So, Rikki found Ashley, but she's on the cancer floor. Uh oh! And Max is mourning the loss of his sister. Will Max and Ashley be reunited? Find out in the final chapter of H2O: Just Add Survival! **_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

September 14, 8:35 pm

_**A/N: Warning! Mild angst in this chapter! (Sorry, but it had to be done.)**_

Emma, Cleo, Bella, Natalie, Andrea, and Lewis were looking up Ashley Brady when Rikki came flying into the room.

"You guys won't believe what I just found!" Rikki said quickly.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"I found Ashley! She's in this hospital!"

The whole room went into chaos. Natalie and Bella began hugging each other (which was hard to do when you're hooked up to an I.V.). Emma picked up Andrea and swung her around. Lewis dipped Cleo and kissed her.

"Wait, wait, wait! She's on the oncology floor." Rikki admitted with tears in her eyes. The celebration stopped instantly. Lewis pulled Cleo back up, Emma let Andrea drop to the floor, and Natalie and Bella drew out of their hug.

"The oncology floor?" Emma asked.

Rikki nodded. "She must have some form of cancer. I didn't get to see her because a doctor made me leave."

"We can still get Max to come to the hospital to see her. He's a family member." Andrea suggested.

"But Ashley might not want to see him." Bella pointed out. "She did run away from him fifty years ago."

"We'll never know unless we try." Emma said simply. "Lewis, call Max." Lewis pulled out his cell phone and dialed Max's number.

~*O*~

Max heard his cell phone ringing and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Max? It's me, Lewis."_

"Lewis? What's wrong?"

"_We found Ashley. She's on the oncology floor at the girls' hospital."_

Max almost passed out right then and there. "She has cancer? What type is it?"

"_I don't know, Max. Rikki found her accidentally when she was exploring. That's why we wanted you to come. Your sister is alive."_

Max sighed. He'd been waiting to hear those four words for fifty years. But, hearing that Ashley had cancer was the worst thing that he could have imagined. Their grandmother had had breast cancer when they were little and had died of it. _I still need to see my sister just in case. _"Okay, Lewis, I'm on my way."

~*O*~

Max walked onto the girls' floor and found them all waiting for him. "I tried to get them to get some rest, but they wouldn't listen." Lewis said tiredly.

"That's the problem, Lewis, they don't listen." Max said with a smile.

"Aren't you going to see Ashley?" Andrea asked.

"Yes, I am. Rikki, come with me, so I'll know where I'm going. Natalie, you come, too."

Natalie was surprised. "Why me?"

"You own Ashley's locket and you have her powers. She'll be glad to meet you."

Rikki led Max and Natalie out of the room and towards the elevator. She pushed the button for the next floor. "I don't know what room she is in or anything. All I heard was her name." Then, the door opened, revealing the dark oncology floor. Natalie timidly stepped out of the elevator and was confronted with the same doctor that had yelled at Rikki.

"You! What are you doing back here?" the doctor said angrily.

"Chill out. I'm bringing him to visit his sister." Rikki retorted.

The doctor squinted at Max. "What patient are you coming to visit?"

"Mrs. Ashley Brady. I'm her brother."

"Mrs. Brady is very weak, but I guess I can let you see her. Follow me." The doctor led them down the hall to room 310. There in a hospital bed laid an elderly woman who was very skinny and pale. She was bald and seemed to be resting. Max let out a deep breath.

"It's her," he whispered. He went over to his sister's bedside. "Ashley, can you hear me?" Ashley opened her eyes and looked into the face of her big brother.

"Max, you got old," she said with a hoarse whisper.

"So did you, Ash, so don't blame it on me." Max chuckled a bit. "So, I heard that you got married."

"And divorced. I divorced Thomas in 1985. I caught him cheating on me with another woman. I never had a child with him either, so I've been alone ever since."

"Ashley, just to let you know, I never told your secret to anyone. These girls figured it out on their own."

"I know, Max. I knew that you would never tell my secret. I figured it out after I got to California. But, I couldn't go home and face you after what I did. I simply started a new life for myself." She peered at Rikki and Natalie. "Now, who are these pretty young girls? Are they your granddaughters?"

"No, they're Rikki Chadwick and Natalie DeGrand. They're very good friends of mine and they're like you were when you were younger."

Ashley smiled. "So we share the same secret." She then saw the locket around Natalie's neck. "My locket! You found it! But that means…you're two of those six girls who went missing this summer!"

"The other four are downstairs." Rikki said. "We shipwrecked on your island and found your letter and locket."

Natalie took off the necklace. "Do you want it back?" she asked while holding it out to Ashley.

The old woman smiled. "No, dear, you keep it for yourself. I really don't deserve it and you seem to be the type of girl to take good care of it. In fact, I think that you are the fifth mermaid, right?"

"How did you…ah, your power." Natalie said. "Yes, I am the fifth. I have your powers, too."

"Max, why don't you put a fifth wave on Natalie's locket? That would look nice."

Max took the locket in his hand and looked at the back. "I think I can fit one more back there."

"That's perfect. Now, you girls don't make the same mistakes I did fifty-two years ago. Be honest with the men you love and be able to trust them." Just then, Ashley went into a coughing fit. The doctor rushed in.

"I'm sorry, folks, but you'll have to leave so Mrs. Brady can get some rest."

Max kissed his sister on the cheek. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you, too, Max." Rikki, Max, and Natalie left the room and went back downstairs then. A few hours later, Ashley was feeling better. "Nurse, can you get me a piece of paper and a pen?" The nurse complied and Ashley began pouring out her heart until one in the morning when she felt lightheaded. She leaned back and fell into a deep sleep. At 3:20, Ashley Leila Brady was pronounced dead of breast cancer…

~*O*~

September 15, 6:35 am

Emma woke up the next morning and looked over at her nightstand. The blue crystal necklace gleamed in the early morning sunlight. Max had given Bella and Emma their necklaces last night and they had both been very surprised. He had also agreed to make Andrea a locket that would have six waves and a pink opal stone at the top.

Just then, Emma heard soft sobbing coming from Rikki and Cleo's room. She put on her robe and hurried over there. She found Cleo in Lewis's arms, sobbing as if she had lost her best friend. Rikki had her head buried in her knees and was trembling.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, extremely concerned. Rikki raised her head up, revealing her tear stained cheeks.

"Ashley died three hours ago." Rikki said flatly. "Cleo found out when she went to go visit her."

Emma clapped a hand to her mouth to keep from screaming from frustration and sadness. _She died? Oh my gosh, Max! _"Where's Max?" she asked, wanting to go comfort the man.

"He's upstairs taking care of Ashley's last wishes." Lewis said over Cleo's sobs. "Apparently she wrote him a letter right before she died."

"I'll go tell Bella, Andrea, and Natalie." Emma said quickly, wanting something to do so she wouldn't break down right in front of Cleo, who was already close to the breaking point. She left the room and allowed herself to silently cry in the hallway before heading back to where Bella was now sitting up in bed, a scared look on her face.

"Em, what's going on?"

"Ashley died a few hours ago, Bella. She apparently was very close to death when we found her."

"Emma, no! Ashley can't be dead, she just can't!" Bella began to cry, her whole body shaking with each sob. "I never even got to meet her!" Emma sat down on the stark white hospital bed and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder, allowing Bella to cry into it. "It's not fair!" Bella sobbed. "It's just not!"

"I know it's not, Bella, but at least Max got to see his sister before she died. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I guess." Bella said as her body involuntarily shuddered.

"Whatzz the matter?" Natalie said sleepily from the doorway. She was rubbing sleep out of her eyes as if she had just woke up. "Why's everyone so upset?"

"Nat, Ashley's dead." Bella said solemnly.

Natalie grabbed the doorframe so she wouldn't collapse. _Ashley's dead? I'm the only one with her powers now? _Emma rushed over and supported her. "Come sit down." Em led her over to a bed and made her sit down. "Is Andrea still asleep?"

"Yeah, she could sleep through World War III." Natalie admitted.

"Okay, that's good." Emma wiped away some silent tears. "I don't want her to totally break down yet."

"Our families are coming today, though." Bella said. "How are we supposed to act like we're happy to see them?"

Emma thought about this for a moment. "Say that your tears are tears of joy from seeing them again."

Bella and Natalie nodded in agreement. Then, all three girls went to the other room to mourn with their friends the death of a brave woman who had sacrificed everything to keep her secret safe…

~*O*~

Max stood in Ashley's hospital room, still not believing that his younger sister was dead. Her body was no longer there, as it was being sent to the nearest funeral home to be cremated. He looked down at the note that was his sister's last gift to him.

_Dear Max,_

_If you are reading this letter, then it means that I'm dead. I've written this letter thousands of times over the past fifty years and have never been able to get it right. I figured that I'd never see you again until today when I saw your sweet face looking at me. _

_It felt so good to tell you the truth and I know that you never told anyone about me. Back then, it was teenage angst that told me that you were lying and that I needed to run. Living alone on that island was sobering for me and it was the same after my divorce. I didn't even have the company of a child to keep me busy. I hope that you found happiness with Gracie, god bless her._

_I don't have many requests, except that I don't want a big funeral. Please just cremate me and scatter my ashes on the island that I found comfort in for six months. Bring those girls and that Lewis boy with you, too. Yes, I know his name! (It's one of the joys of my powers.) Max, just remember to live your life to the fullest. If you forget everything else, please remember that one thing. Now, I have messages for the girls._

_Emma: You are the leader of the group, I believe. That's very good! But, with being the leader, there's also great responsibility. Remember to take other people's opinions into consideration, my dear._

_Rikki: The fiery blond, aren't you? You seem to be feisty like I was when I was young. (That's not always a good thing, I'm afraid.) Just don't be too much of a rebel and I think that you'll do fine. You have a good heart behind that fiery exterior._

_Cleo: Sweetheart, you have real spirit inside of you. (Louise Chatham used to tell me that a lot when I was younger.) You are destined for great things. I already know that you caught yourself a great guy. Don't let him slip between your fingers! Enjoy what's left of your youth._

_Bella: I hear that you were afraid that Emma would take your place in the group. Don't worry about it! Cleo and Rikki would never do that to you and they don't see you as just another Emma. You are your own unique person and you are loved very much._

_Natalie: Ah, the girl who's inherited my powers and my kindness. You are very sweet towards the rest of the girls, especially Andrea. She needs an older sister figure in her life, so I believe that you'd be perfect to fill that role. Don't use your image power to gossip though!_

_Andrea: You are the newest mermaid to the group. Congrats! Now, you're probably scared to death about powers and keeping your secret. I know I was when I first turned. Natalie's thinking about going to college at UCLA this coming year. Convince her to say yes! That way, you'll have another person like you for full moons and stuff. Enjoy your mermaid life!_

_I love you all and hope to reunite with you in heaven someday._

_Love,_

_Ashley _

Max about started bawling again. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Emma. "Max, how about coming downstairs with us? I really don't want you to be alone." She gently led him out of the room and to the elevator, where they headed downstairs to mourn the loss of a friend and sister.

_**The end! Not really, we still have the epilogue. Sorry for killing off Ashley, but it just made sense to me. The epilogue will involve the girls reuniting with Max and Lewis to scatter Ashley's ashes on Sirena Island. And then, I will reveal the sneak peek of H2O: Just Add Survival 2! I hope you all still like me enough to review! :D**_


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

October 10, 2:50 pm

The sun shone brightly on the small tropical island as a sailboat headed towards it. On this boat was eight people, all dressed in black. It was Rikki, Emma, Cleo, Bella, Natalie, Andrea, Max, and Lewis. They were coming to scatter Ashley's ashes on their island.

Cleo was standing on the deck of Max's boat, wiping her eyes with a Kleenex. She watched as the fog cleared, revealing the island that had trapped them for almost three months. A hand rubbed her shoulder and Cleo turned around. It was Lewis. He had been a big comfort after Ashley's death and had moved back to Australia to attend college there instead. It was great, especially since Cleo had been a wreck since being rescued. Cleo leaned against Lewis's chest and cried softly into his black polo shirt.

~*O*~

Natalie sat inside the main cabin, smoothing the wrinkles out of her black slacks. She put a hand up to her locket, thinking about Ashley. _Why did you have to die? I could've learned so much from you! _A paragraph in a letter wasn't nearly enough to help her with being a mermaid. Bella helped her with her jelly power, but no one could help with her flashes or earthquakes. _That's why I needed you, Ashley!_

Natalie instantly felt bad. The woman was dying of cancer, for goodness sakes! It wasn't like she could've told her everything she needed to know in a few short hours. "Nat, are you okay?" Natalie looked up and saw Rikki walking over to her. It was surprising, especially since Rikki's eyes were puffy from crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Natalie quietly wiped a few stray tears away.

"Nat, I can tell that you're not. Ashley's death really shook you up, didn't it?"

"I…I guess it did, Rikki. You're lucky, you know. You had Miss Chatham to help you with powers and being a mermaid. I have no one."

"Natalie, Julia had my powers and she was dead when I first turned. I had to learn how to control my powers on my own. Sure, I had Emma, Cleo, and Lewis to help me, but they didn't understand how I did my powers. I was alone, too. You don't need Ashley to help you."

The younger girl smiled. "Thanks, Rikki."

~*O*~

Andrea climbed up the rigging to the top of the main sail. "Andrea, get down before you kill yourself!" she heard Emma yell. She ignored the older girl and looked over the horizon at the narrow green strip of land. _Our island. _The salty sea breeze blew through her blond hair.

Just then, a tiny drop of rain fell from the sky, hitting Andrea's hand. She gasped as her tail formed, leaving only her hands clinging to the rigging. Emma screamed down below on the deck. Cleo, Lewis, and Rikki came running. Cleo almost fainted at the sight of Andrea desperately trying to hold on.

"You guys know what you have to do." Lewis said quickly. The three mermaids nodded at one another and raised their hands. Wind began to blow around Andrea, making it harder to hold on to the ropes. "Andrea, let go!" Lewis yelled.

"No way, I'll fall!" she screamed.

"Just trust us!" Rikki yelled over the wind. Andrea took in a deep breath and shut her eyes. She loosened her hands and let herself drop. She fell for a few seconds before the wind caught her, bringing her upwards. _Now here am I, defying gravity… _For some reason, that song from Wicked came to her.

Andrea began slowly descending towards the ground as Cleo, Emma, and Rikki cautiously started bringing their hands back to their sides. Soon, Andrea was lying on the wooden deck with a tail. Rikki dried her off and helped her up.

"Don't ever do that again!" Emma scolded Andrea. Max came out from the ship's wheel after seeing the chaos.

"Andrea, I have a surprise for you," he said gently.

"Really?" she asked, extremely excited.

He held out his hands and Andrea gasped at the sight of the silver locket in them! "My very own locket!" she cried. She took off her crystal necklace and Max fastened the locket around her neck. Andrea touched it gently, almost not believing that it was there.

~*O*~

"Hey, might want to stop the boat." Bella said while pointing to the island that was rapidly getting closer. Max hurried back to the wheel and quickly turned the boat so it wouldn't crash. Lewis helped by dropping the anchor.

"We'll meet you there, Lewis." Cleo said as the six mermaids got ready to dive over the rail. Each girl had a black object to help mask their brightly colored tails. Rikki was wearing a black jet bracelet of her mother's, Emma had a lace scarf that she wound around her neck, Cleo and Bella both were wrapping a length of fabric around their tails, Natalie had a choker, and Andrea took a tunic and put it over her bikini top. They dove off the side and headed for the moonpool. Max had decided that Ashley would have wanted her ashes scattered there.

As they swam, none of the girls dawdled. Today was a solemn day, so everyone swam quickly and quietly. Max and Lewis got close in the boat's dinghy, and then they followed the mermaids to the moonpool. Cleo helped Max since he was older and had problems with holding his breath. Everyone surfaced in the moonpool and sadly looked around.

"I guess this is it." Max said as he pulled out the container with Ashley's ashes in it. "Sis, wherever you are, I hope you can see this." He put his hand into the gray dust and sprinkled it onto the sandy ledge. The mermaids and Lewis followed suit. _This is so weird. I'm touching a person! _Natalie thought to herself.

Then, green beams of light came out of the wall, shining brightly. A golden ball formed and a young brunette girl stepped out of it. Natalie and Max recognized her instantly. "Ashley?" they asked at the same time.

Ashley smiled. "Hi, everyone," she said shyly.

"Wha…What are you doing here?" Max asked.

"I've come to say proper goodbyes to everyone." Ashley walked over and kissed Max on the cheek. "I'll miss you, big brother." Max hugged his sister close. The six girls gave Ashley a group hug. "You girls stick together, now." Ashley said teasingly. She even gave Lewis a hug. "Keep an eye on them for me." Lewis nodded in agreement. Ashley gave Max another hug and kiss before the golden ball enveloped her, causing her to vanish.

Silent tears of joy trickled down everyone's faces. Rikki wiped her eyes before clearing her throat. "At least she's in a better place now," she whispered. The other seven people nodded in agreement.

~*O*~

Ashley floated back up to heaven, looking longingly back down to earth. _"Max…" _she whispered. Her white dress flowed around her as she got closer to the heavenly glow of her home. _"I love you…"_ Ashley smiled to herself. _This is only the beginning of their adventures. I know that they have great things destined for them. Now, they'll just have to find them… _The wind blew through Ashley's hair and she gave one final wave before accepting her fate and heading home. _This is only the beginning…_

_**The End!**_

_**Okay, H2O: Just Add Survival is now completed. Oh my gosh, this has been an amazing journey for me. In one month, I went from one review to almost 100! I've had so many devoted reviewers and you are all awesome! (I won't mention all of you, but I'd like to thank you anyway!) H2O: Just Add Survival 2 will be out shortly, I promise! I already have little one sentence summaries for each chapter, so that helps me a lot. Also, I have a vague idea for H2O: Just Add Survival 3! So, don't worry, this is (in Ashley's words) only the beginning. Anyway, the "trailer" for the sequel will be up soon! Thank you all for supporting me and reviewing! You all are awesome!**_

_**~Alyssa**_


	23. H2O: Just Add Survival 2 sneak peek!

_**Hello, all my lovely reviewers! I hope that you enjoyed H2O: Just Add Survival! I know I enjoyed writing it! Now, here's a sneak peek at H2O: Just Add Survival 2: Race Against Time…**_

_**Bold **_is the narrator, normal is lines, and_ italics _are actions seen.

_**It's been a year since the shipwreck that changed their lives forever…**_

_Shows Natalie and Andrea reuniting with Rikki, Emma, Cleo, and Bella._

Cleo: Oh my gosh, it's so great to see you guys again!

_**And their lives are about to take another fateful twist…**_

Dr. Denman: I want to know everything about those American girls.

Rikki: Natalie, look out! _Water splashes over all six girls. Dr. Denman watches with an evil smile. Fades to black._

Emma (V.O.): We have to disappear again. _(pause) _This time by choice.

_Flashes to all six girls diving off their boat before it explodes. They pull themselves onto the sands of their island. Shows full moon rising over the island. Natalie is grabbed by a water tentacle._

Rikki: It's come back to warn us. _Epic music begins to play._

_Shows comet flying towards Earth while Cleo narrates._

Cleo (V.O.): There's another comet coming and this one will be worse than the last one!

Bella: We'll have to combine the crystals of all three moonpools to stop it.

_**Now with new powers…**_

Natalie: We can see each other's powers? _Andrea watches a bottle freeze without Emma being around. _Without the girl who owns it near us?

_**New dangers…**_

Dr. Denman: I want you to stop those girls whatever it takes! 

Emma: We're in a race against time, guys.

Bella: _(with tears streaming down her face)_ Emma? EMMA!

Andrea: We've lost Emma to the comet?

_Emma is suspended in a water ball. She turns over and gasps._

Emma: _(with a shocked look on her face) _Eva?

_**And the power of magic…**_

_Natalie holds a walkie-talkie while Cleo's voice comes out of it._

Cleo: Are you ready?

Natalie: Ready.

_Quick scenes unfold including Andrea being captured by Dr. Denman, Cleo forming a water tentacle in the moonpool, Emma being hit by the tower of light, Natalie and Andrea diving off a cliff, Rikki confronting the tentacle, Natalie screaming, Dr. Denman pulling her boat onto the island, and Bella using her power as blue light comes out of the holes of the three islands. Fades to white…_

Andrea (V.O.): I don't know if we'll be able to save the world this time.

_**H2O: Just Add Survival 2: Race Against Time**_


End file.
